New Delhi: UPI (Unified Payment Interface) of India has become the world’s top real-time payment procedure after surpassing Visa. India has emerged as the global leader in fast payments, as noted by the International Monetary Fund report titled Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability. From some sources, it is stated that in June 2025, UPI witnessed over Rs 24.03 lakh crore payments, which is spread across 18.39 billion transactions. There is clear growth as compared to last year’s data. In June 2024, 13.88 billion transactions were recorded, which indicates that there is an increase of about 32%.
UPI has now surpassed Visa in digital payments. The records show that there are more transactions made through UPI in a day compared to those of Visa. UPI handled about 640 million transactions every day, while Visa did 639 million, as mentioned in some of the sources. UPI has also become global, with a presence in countries such as Singapore, UAE, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, and Mauritius. India is also trying to push UPI to become the standard within the BRICS group, which will improve remittances, boost financial inclusion, and raise India’s profile as a global tech leader in digital payments.
UPI entry in France marks a great milestone for India. Indian visitors need not worry about foreign transactions and can easily pay money through UPI. It was launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India. UPI has made sending and receiving money an easier task, allowing users to consolidate all their bank accounts in one application.
In the present scenario, UPI is serving 491 million people and 65 million merchants, while connecting 675 banks on a platform. Almost 85% of transactions in India are conducted via UPI, and approximately 50% of global digital payments.
It was launched in 2016 by the NPCI, UPI enables users to link multiple bank accounts on a single platform and send money instantly using just the UPI ID, without sharing any personal bank details with the receiver. Its interoperability across the different applications and banks has made it popular among the users and businesses alike. QR Payments, 24/7 availability, and in-app support make it accessible even in rural areas.
