India's UPI transactions surge to over 24,162 crore in FY 2025‑26

A government fact sheet released on 27 June highlights that the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched a decade ago as a basic digital payment platform, has become the backbone of everyday digital commerce in India. Transaction volume grew from just 2 crore in FY 2016‑17 to more than 24,162 crore in FY 2025‑26.

The expansion is attributed to the "JAM" trinity – Jan Dhan financial inclusion accounts, Aadhaar biometric identification and widespread mobile connectivity. Jan Dhan accounts rose from 14.72 crore (Mar 2015) to 57.78 crore (Feb 2026), with deposits increasing from ₹15,670 crore to ₹2.94 lakh crore. Aadhaar enrollments expanded from 0.42 crore (2010‑11) to over 144 crore (Mar 2026). By March 2026, 85.5 % of Indian families owned at least one smartphone and more than 109 crore people were using the internet.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments exceeded ₹51 lakh crore, reaching 176 crore beneficiaries. DigiLocker registered over 70.69 crore users and issued more than 850 crore digital documents. The Government e‑Marketplace (GeM) recorded a gross merchandise value of over ₹18.4 lakh crore, including about ₹5 lakh crore in FY 2025‑26, and facilitated market access for over 11 lakh MSMEs.