UPI transaction volumes jumped 32% year-on-year on Diwali, driven by strong last-minute festive purchases. Indians carried out 916.9 million UPI transactions worth more than ₹90,000 crore on November 8, according to NPCI data.
New Delhi, November 10 — India’s digital payments ecosystem witnessed a major festive boost as Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transaction volumes surged 32% on Diwali, reflecting strong consumer spending and growing adoption of instant digital payments.
According to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI recorded 916.9 million transactions on November 8, compared with 695.7 million transactions on the corresponding day last year.
In value terms, transactions increased to ₹90,029.43 crore, compared with ₹88,350.79 crore a year earlier.
Nearly 976 million transactions before Diwali
Digital payment activity was even stronger on the day before Diwali.
UPI registered 975.8 million transactions, involving payments worth approximately ₹1,36,118 crore, as consumers stepped up festive shopping.
The numbers underline the growing importance of UPI for everyday retail payments as well as high-volume shopping periods such as major Indian festivals.
UPI is an instant payment system developed by NPCI, an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India and Indian Banks’ Association.
UPI crosses 25 billion monthly transactions
The Diwali surge follows another major milestone for India’s digital payments system.
During October 2026, UPI processed a record 25.47 billion transactions.
The total value of transactions during the month stood at approximately ₹31.53 lakh crore, supported by strong festive-season purchases.
UPI has expanded rapidly since its launch on August 25, 2016.
According to the source, annual UPI transaction value increased from just ₹0.07 lakh crore in FY17 to around ₹314 lakh crore in FY26, representing an increase of more than 4,000 times over the decade.
UPI now accepted in 11 countries
India’s home-grown digital payment system is also expanding internationally.
UPI is currently accepted in 11 countries, with Uzbekistan becoming the latest country to join the network.
Other markets where UPI is accepted include Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Greece.
The expansion allows Indian travellers and consumers to increasingly use UPI-supported payment services outside the country.
The sharp increase in Diwali transactions highlights how deeply digital payments have become integrated into Indian consumer spending.
With nearly 917 million transactions processed on Diwali alone and almost 976 million transactions recorded a day earlier, UPI’s festive performance demonstrates the growing scale of India’s digital payment infrastructure.
