Government Highlights UPI’s Rapid Growth and Global Expansion

In a recent parliamentary address, the central government disclosed that the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform now boasts over 55.49 crore users nationwide. The financial year 2025-26 registered a staggering 24,161.69 crore UPI transactions, amounting to a cumulative value of Rs 314.23 lakh crore.

Finance Minister Pankaj Chaudhary outlined the consistent acceleration of transaction counts and values over five consecutive fiscal years. Starting from 4,595.61 crore transactions worth Rs 84.16 lakh crore in FY 2021‑22, the numbers rose sharply each year, culminating in the FY 2025‑26 record.

The ministry also highlighted the role of NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), established as a wholly‑owned NPCI subsidiary in April 2020, in driving UPI’s overseas footprint. Through strategic alliances, UPI and the Rupe card are being rolled out in several partner countries, offering Indian tourists and expatriates a frictionless digital payment experience while supporting partner economies in building real‑time payment infrastructure.

Security remains a cornerstone of UPI’s expansion. The Reserve Bank of India, NPCI, and the Ministry of Finance have introduced multiple safeguards: risk‑based transaction limits, rigorous mobile number change protocols, and protection against SMS‑based authentication abuse. The Comprehensive UPI Information Security Framework (CUISF) 2025 and the Mobile Application Security Framework enforce mandatory advanced security measures across all UPI applications.

Finally, UPI’s linkage with multiple foreign payment networks now enables both person‑to‑person and person‑to‑merchant cross‑border transactions, solidifying its status as a globally recognized digital payment platform.