New Delhi, Mar 20: Payments through digital means in India are hitting fresh highs, as its citizens are increasingly adopting the emerging modes of transacting on the internet.

In February, transactions worth Rs 18.2 lakh crore were made through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with a staggering 122 crore number of transactions.

The transactions made last month through the popular instant payment mechanism were a tad lower than in January, where the total value of transactions was Rs 18.4 lakh crore. The total number of transactions recorded in the month of January was 121 crore.

Data maintained by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) showed that an average of Rs 40,000-Rs 80,000 crore worth of UPI transactions are made in India on a daily basis.

Coming to NEFT and RTGS, the two other instruments for online payments, the average transactions made through these were an average of Rs 33.85 lakh crore and Rs 146 lakh crore, respectively, data showed.

Coming to internet banking and mobile banking, transactions worth Rs 91.24 lakh crore and Rs 28.16 lakh crore, respectively, were made in January 2024.

Notably, India today accounts for nearly 46 per cent of the world's digital transactions (as per 2022 data).

The share of UPI in digital payments in India has reached close to 80 per cent in 2023, informed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das earlier this month, as he outlined the growth of the payments ecosystem in the country.

The RBI governor had said India has not only navigated through the fast-evolving technological innovations but also played a pivotal role, as a catalyst, in developing one of the most modern payment systems in the world.

Retail digital payments in India have grown from 162 crore transactions in the financial year 2012-13 to over 14,726 crore transactions in 2023-24 (till February 2024) -- approximately a 90-fold increase over 12 years.

UPI is India's mobile-based fast payment system, which facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly, using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer.

The UPI payment system has become hugely popular for retail digital payments in India, and its adoption is increasing at a rapid pace.

A key emphasis of the Indian government has been on ensuring that the benefits of UPI are not limited to India only; other countries, too, benefit from it. So far, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, France, UAE, and Singapore have partnered with India on emerging fintech and payment solutions.

(ANI)

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