UPI Transactions Surge in December 2025: Volumes Jump 29% YoY to Record 2,163 Crore, Payment Value Touches INR 28 Lakh Crore, NPCI Data Shows
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) closed the year on a record-breaking note, scaling new heights in both transaction volume and value in December 2025. According to the latest data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the platform processed 21.63 billion transactions during the month, marking a 29% year-on-year increase.
New Delhi, January 3: India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) closed the year on a record-breaking note, scaling new heights in both transaction volume and value in December 2025. According to the latest data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the platform processed 21.63 billion transactions during the month, marking a 29% year-on-year increase. The total value of these payments reached approximately ₹28 lakh crore, reflecting a 20% rise compared to the same period in 2024.
Year-End Momentum Drives Record Growth
The surge in December follows a modest dip in November, largely attributed to heightened consumer spending during the Christmas and New Year period. Daily activity on the platform reached an average of 698 million transactions, with a daily value averaging ₹90,217 crore. Industry analysts suggest that the rebound was fueled by robust retail sales, travel bookings, and a steady shift toward micro-payments for routine daily expenses. While October had previously held the record with 20.7 billion transactions, December’s performance has firmly established a new benchmark for the digital ecosystem. UPI Transactions Surge: INR 24 Lakh Crore Worth Transactions Carried Out in India in April 2025, Daily Numbers Rose to 596 Million, Says NPCI.
A Milestone Year for Digital Payments
For the full calendar year of 2025, UPI solidified its dominance in the retail payments landscape. The platform recorded a staggering 228.3 billion transactions worth nearly ₹300 lakh crore. This represents a significant jump from 2024, where transaction volumes stood at 172.2 billion. Beyond UPI, other digital payment modes also saw an uptick. The Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) recorded 380 million transactions in December, worth ₹6.62 lakh crore, while FASTag transactions rose to 384 million, aided by year-end travel and freight movement.
Focus on Safety and Future Innovation
Despite the record numbers, the NPCI is maintaining a cautious approach regarding consumer safety. The payments operator is currently reviewing timelines for certain features, including the phasing out of "pull payments" to combat rising fraud risks. Looking ahead to 2026, the ecosystem is expected to evolve with the integration of AI-driven support and the expansion of credit-on-UPI. Experts believe the next phase of growth will depend on deeper penetration into rural markets and the continued global expansion of the interface, which is already gaining traction in countries like Nepal, Qatar, and Singapore. RBI Announces Interlinking of UPI with European Instant Payment TIPS.
Structural Shift in Consumer Behavior
Financial experts describe the recent data not merely as a seasonal spike but as a permanent structural change in how India pays. The average ticket size for UPI transactions has settled around ₹1,293, indicating that the platform is increasingly being used for small-scale, everyday commerce—from street vendors to grocery stores—across both metro cities and smaller towns.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2026 06:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).