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UPI Volume Jumps 27 Per Cent to 145 Billion in First Half

3 October 2026 · ⏱ 2 ਮਿੰਟ · GS-III Economy — Banking and payments

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ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਉਂ?

145 billion UPI transactions in six months: who actually runs UPI, the Prelims question hiding here

UPI volumes rose 27% year-on-year to 145 billion in the April-September half, NPCI data show.

Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2017; factual, Prelims-type

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What you need to know

2 ਮਿੰਟ

UPI transactions reached 145 billion in April-September of the current financial year, against 114 billion in the same period a year earlier, a rise of 27 per cent.

The figures were released by the National Payments Corporation of India, which operates the Unified Payments Interface.

ਸਰੋਤ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)

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ਮੁੱਖ ਤੱਥ

Remember these

  • UPI transactions reached 145 billion in April-September, against 114 billion a year earlier
  • Year-on-year growth in UPI volume was 27 per cent
  • The data were released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
  • NPCI operates the Unified Payments Interface, a real-time retail payment system
  • NPCI is an umbrella organisation for retail payments, set up with the RBI and the Indian Banks' Association
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ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼ · ਮੇਨਜ਼

How the exam will ask it

ਪ੍ਰੀਲਿਮਜ਼

  • NPCI is the umbrella organisation that operates the Unified Payments Interface, a retail payment system.
  • The Reserve Bank of India regulates payment systems and licenses operators, but it does not itself operate UPI.
  • UPI allows instant bank-to-bank transfers through a mobile application using a virtual payment address.

ਮੇਨਜ਼

GS-III Economy: UPI's rapid growth shows how public digital infrastructure has deepened financial inclusion and formalised small payments. Policy support from the RBI and NPCI has driven adoption, but concentration among a few apps, system outages, fraud and the cost of zero-fee transactions raise concerns. The way forward lies in market-share limits, stronger fraud safeguards, a sustainable revenue model and wider cross-border linkages.

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PYQ connection

A question UPSC has already asked on this

🔁 UPSC PYQ CONNECTION · UPSC CSE 2017

Consider the following statements:

  1. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) helps in promoting the financial inclusion in the country.
  2. NPCI has launched RuPay, a card payment scheme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ

ਜਵਾਬ: C

Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.

Practise this PYQ →
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Quick recall

Answer before you reveal

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) retail payment system is owned and operated by which organisation?

  1. National Payments Corporation of India
  2. Reserve Bank of India
  3. Indian Banks' Association
  4. Clearing Corporation of India Limited
ਜਵਾਬ ਵੇਖੋ

ਜਵਾਬ: A — Correct: National Payments Corporation of India — NPCI, an umbrella organisation for retail payments set up with RBI and the Indian Banks' Association, operates UPI. • Reserve Bank of India — wrong: The Reserve Bank regulates payment systems and licenses operators, but it does not operate UPI. • Indian Banks' Association — wrong: The Indian Banks' Association is an industry body of banks and does not run payment systems like UPI. • Clearing Corporation of India Limited — wrong: The Clearing Corporation of India settles money, government-securities and forex trades, not retail UPI payments.

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