Have Banks Been Asked To Stock Up ATMs Ahead of UPI Fee Rollout? Fact Check Calls Claim Fake
PIB Fact Check debunked a viral fake Mint clipping claiming the RBI and the Finance Ministry ordered banks to stock ATMs ahead of the October 15 UPI fee rules. Authorities confirmed no such directive exists, and ATM operations remain completely normal. 'The claim being made in the headline is fake,' PIB said.
A claim circulating via a Mint newspaper clipping, suggesting that banks have been directed to stock up ATMs ahead of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) fee rollout, is fake. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check has debunked this assertion. PIB Fact Check said that the claim made in the headline of the newspaper clipping is fake.
Fake Claim Spreads Online
The claim originated from a headline in a Mint newspaper clipping, which stated, "Banks asked to stock up ATMs ahead of UPI fees". This snippet suggested that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Finance had issued instructions for banks to ensure adequate cash availability at ATMs from October 15, when new charges on select UPI transactions were set to take effect. The claim quickly spread across social media platforms, causing concern among users about potential cash shortages or increased reliance on physical cash due to the new UPI charges. Are Netflix and SIP AutoPay Getting Costlier Under New October 15 UPI MDR Rules?
The Claim Being Made in the Headline Is Fake, Say PIB Fact Check
The headline of a newspaper clipping published by @livemint claims that banks have been asked to stock up ATMs ahead of UPI fee roll out.#PIBFactCheck:
❌ The claim being made in the headline is #fake .
✅ No such instructions have been issued by @RBI or the @FinMinIndia to… pic.twitter.com/Gexp0l0cdC
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 23, 2026
Official Clarification by PIB
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-check unit promptly addressed the viral claim, stating that the message circulating in the headline is fake. According to PIB, no such instructions have been issued by either the RBI or the Ministry of Finance to banks regarding stocking up ATMs specifically in anticipation of UPI fee implementation. PIB further clarified that ATMs would continue to operate as usual, dispelling fears of any disruption in cash availability.
UPI Charges Context
While it is true that new charges on certain UPI transactions are slated to take effect from October 15, the directive for banks to stock up ATMs was unrelated and unfounded. The new charges primarily pertained to specific merchant transactions and were intended to streamline the digital payment ecosystem rather than to discourage digital transactions or push users towards cash. The official communication from regulatory bodies focused on the specifics of these charges and their applicability, not on emergency cash measures. Are Vehicles Entitled to Free Passage at Toll Plazas if Queues Exceed 100 Metres? Fact Check Calls Claim False.
Conclusion
The claim made in the newspaper clipping of Mint stating that banks have been asked to stock up ATMs ahead of the UPI fee rollout is fake. As clarified by PIB Fact Check, no such directive has been issued by the RBI or the Ministry of Finance.
Fact check
A newspaper clipping published by Mint claims that banks have been asked to stock up ATMs ahead of the UPI fee rollout.
The claim is fake as no such instructions have been issued by the RBI or the Ministry of Finance.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2026 12:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
