New Delhi, April 6: India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed 228.5 billion transactions in 2025, registering a 33 per cent year-on-year increase, with total transaction value reaching Rs. 299.74 trillion, according to a report released on Monday.
The findings, published by Worldline, indicate that growth in UPI usage remained widespread across both person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) segments. Merchant transactions led the expansion, rising 34 per cent to 143.82 billion, underscoring deeper penetration of digital payments in everyday commerce.
The report highlighted a decline in the average transaction value, with the overall ticket size falling 9 per cent to Rs. 1,314. Merchant payment ticket sizes dropped further to Rs. 592. This shift reflects increasing adoption of digital modes for low-value, routine transactions that were traditionally cash-based.
Worldline noted that the reduction in ticket size signals a transition of small-scale payments, including those at street vendors and local service providers, into the formal digital ecosystem.
Infrastructure supporting merchant payments also expanded during the year. The number of UPI QR codes rose 15 per cent year-on-year to 731.38 million, while point-of-sale (PoS) terminals increased at a similar rate to 11.48 million. However, Bharat QR deployments saw a marginal slowdown as the ecosystem consolidated around UPI-driven acceptance models.
Ramesh Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer of Worldline India, stated that the country’s digital payments ecosystem is entering a phase where scale is complemented by structural depth, indicating a more organised and stable growth trajectory.
The report further observed that India’s payments landscape is evolving with multiple payment systems operating in tandem. Platforms such as UPI, card networks, and recurring payment systems like Bharat BillPay are increasingly complementing each other to support a comprehensive digital economy.
Merchant adoption trends point to a “QR-first, PoS-as-needed” approach, enabling even small businesses to accept digital payments without significant infrastructure investment.
In the cards segment, credit card transactions recorded a 27 per cent increase to 5.69 billion. In contrast, debit card usage declined by 23 per cent, reflecting a shift of smaller transactions towards UPI. Online credit card payments accounted for Rs. 14.53 trillion in value.
Recurring digital payments also showed strong growth. Transactions on Bharat BillPay reached 3.05 billion, marking a 40 per cent increase, while the total transaction value surged 93 per cent to Rs. 14.84 trillion. The platform is witnessing rising usage across categories such as education fees, insurance premiums, EMI payments, and subscription services.
The report noted that this trend indicates a growing preference for automated and scheduled payments, pointing to the emergence of a “set-and-forget” model among households managing regular expenses digitally.
