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UPI transaction value nears record high in August, volume hits 24.51 billion

UPI transactions reached ₹29.82 lakh crore in August, up 20% year-on-year, while volumes hit a record 24.51 billion. Festive activity and growing use cases like credit on UPI are cited as drivers.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articles Version 3 Coverage Sep 1, 2026 Published 56m ago

UPI transactions near record in August

Transactions through India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) reached ₹29.8 lakh crore in August, near the record-high levelof ₹29.9 lakh crore set in May and July 2026, according to data released bythe National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Tuesday.

The value of transactions was ₹29.82 lakh crore in August, up from ₹24.85 lakh crore in the same month a year ago, registering a 20% annual growth, NPCI figures show. In volume terms, UPI transactions touched a recordof 24.51 billion in August, up 22% from 19.63 billion in August last year, according to NPCI data. The volume was notably higher than the 23.66 billion recorded in July.

On an average basis, UPI processed around 791 million transactions dailyin August, with an average daily transaction value of about ₹96,205 crore, the NPCI data showed.

Drivers of growth

Industry executives attributed the August growth to festive activity, particularly Raksha Bandhan, which drove a surge in peer-to-peer transfers and small-ticket gifting, as well as to evolving use cases such as credit on UPI.

Cashfree Payments co-founder Reeju Datta said the volume growth was bolstered by such festive activity, and the consistent increase in transaction value over the past three months underscores the expanding reach and depth of the UPI ecosystem. Looking ahead, he said, the upcoming festive season presents an exciting growth frontier.

Deepak Chand Thakur, co-founder and CEO of Network People Services Technologies (NPST), said that as the festive season approaches and new use cases such as credit on UPI start to mature, continued investment in resilient, intelligent infrastructure will be key to sustaining India's leadership in digital payments.

UPI's expanding footprint

NPCI, an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks' Association, operates UPI, which enables real-time payments between peers or at merchants' end.

UPI is now accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan being the latest entry, according to NPCI data. Other countries where UPI is operational includ Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece, with Greece and the Maldives being the latest adopters, as reported by Lokmat Times.

The UPI, launched on August 25, 2016, has seen transaction value surge over the years, with annual volumes rising from 2 crore transactions in FY 2016-17 to over 24,162 crore in FY 2025-26, an official factsheet said. The network comprised 741 live banks as of July 2026, processing 2,365.8 crore transactions with a total value of ₹29.87 lakh crore, according to official data.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

Lokmat Times

Framing: UPI surge of 20% to Rs 29.82 lakh crore in August

as of Sep 1, 2026, 5:46 AM UTC

Facts Included:

UPI transaction value surged 20% to Rs 29.82 lakh crore in August
Data released by NPCI on Tuesday
Average daily UPI transactions in August: 791 million, value Rs 96,205 crore
UPI annual volumes rose from 2 crore in FY 2016-17 to over 24,162 crore in FY 2025-26
UPI accepted in 11 countries, latest Greece and Maldives
UPI operational in Bhutan, Nepal, Singapore, UAE, France, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Qatar
NIPL agreement with NIPC of Uzbekistan to enable UPI QR payments
No analyst comments or external reactions provided

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The New Indian Express

Framing: Highlights UPI transactions approaching a record level of Rs 29.8 lakh crore in August.

as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC

Facts Included:

UPI is accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan being the latest entry.
UPI is accepted in Singapore, the UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece.

Read the source article →

Outlook Business

Framing: Emphasizes record-level transaction value and all-time high volume.

as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:47 AM UTC

Facts Included:

UPI transactions in August were ₹29.8 lakh crore, near the record-high level, according to NPCI data.
Value of transactions was ₹29.82 lakh crore in August, up from ₹24.85 lakh crore in the same month a year ago, registering 20% annual growth.
NPCI is an initiative of the RBI and the Indian Banks' Association.
Cashfree Payments co-founder Reeju Datta said festive activity such as Raksha Bandhan drove a surge in P2P transfers and small-ticket gifting.
NPST co-founder and CEO Deepak Chand Thakur said continued investment in resilient, intelligent infrastructure will be key to sustaining India's leadership in digital payments.
UPI is now accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan being the latest entry.

Read the source article →

The Hindu Business Line

Framing: Record-breaking volume of UPI transactions in August

as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC

Facts Included:

UPI transactions hit record 24.51 billion in August
Data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
NPCI is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks’ Association
Cashfree Payments co-founder Reeju Datta said volume growth was bolstered by festive activity such as Raksha Bandhan
Deepak Chand Thakur, co-founder and CEO of NPST, said credit on UPI and festive season present growth opportunities
UPI is accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan being the latest entry
Other countries: Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece
UPI launched on August 25, 2016
Published on September 1, 2026

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The Hindu — World

Framing: UPI transaction value near record in August

as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC

Facts Included:

UPI transactions were at ₹29.8 lakh crore in August
Record high of ₹29.9 lakh crore in May and July 2026
Value of transactions was ₹29.82 lakh crore in August
Value was ₹24.85 lakh crore in the same month a year ago
NPCI is an initiative of RBI and Indian Banks' Association
UPI accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan the latest
Other countries: Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Greece
UPI launched on August 25, 2016
Reeju Datta, Cashfree Payments co-founder, attributed growth to festive activity
Deepak Chand Thakur, NPST CEO, commented on festive season and credit on UPI

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What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimUPI transactions were at ₹29.8 lakh crore in August, near the record-high level.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimUPI transactions touched a record high of Rs 29.9 lakh crore in May and July 2026.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimUPI transactions in volume terms touched a record 24.51 billion in August.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimThe value of UPI transactions was Rs 29.82 lakh crore in August, up from Rs 24.85 lakh crore in the same month a year ago.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC
ClaimUPI volume rose by 22% on an annual basis to 24.51 billion in August.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC
ClaimNPCI is an initiative of the RBI and the Indian Banks' Association.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimUPI is accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan as the latest entry.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimReeju Datta, Cashfree Payments co-founder, attributed growth to festive activity.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimDeepak Chand Thakur, NPST CEO, commented on festive season and credit on UPI.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC
ClaimUPI was launched on August 25, 2016.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu — World as of Sep 1, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC, The Hindu Business Line as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC, The New Indian Express as of Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articles consulted: Lokmat Times, The New Indian Express, Outlook Business, The Hindu Business Line, The Hindu — World 10 claims extracted Version 3 Written 2026-09-01