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Over the past decade, UPI has redefined India's digital payment system and established a global footprint. Its services have now reached 11 countries, and in July 2026, transactions worth ₹29.87 lakh crore were recorded.

Making payments via UPI has become an integral part of daily life in India. However, its reach has extended far beyond the country's borders over the last 10 years. People abroad are now using UPI for payments and cross-border money transfers involving India. According to the government, UPI is now operational in 11 countries. In July 2026 alone, transactions worth ₹29.87 lakh crore were processed through the platform.

In these countries, UPI is used to accept payments and, in some locations, to facilitate cross-border money transfers with India. Greece and the Maldives are among the latest nations to integrate with UPI. In total, 11 countries—including Bhutan, Nepal, Singapore, the UAE, France, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Qatar, Cambodia, Greece, and the Maldives—accept transactions via Indian UPI.

Massive transaction volume in July

In July 2026, UPI recorded 2,365.8 crore transactions, amounting to a total value of ₹29.87 lakh crore. At that time, 741 banks were linked to the UPI network. According to the government, the annual volume of UPI transactions has grown nearly 12,000-fold between the 2016-17 and 2025-26 fiscal years.

UPI was launched in 2016, and numerous new services have been added since then. Between 2020 and 2022, features such as UPI AutoPay, UPI PAY, and UPI Lite were introduced. The facility to link credit cards with UPI was also launched during this period. It was also during this time that UPI made its international debut in Bhutan. UPI Circle was launched in 2024, allowing a primary user to authorize another person to make payments from their bank account within a specified timeframe. The UPI transaction limit for tax payments was raised from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh. Additionally, the limit for UPI 123PAY was set at ₹10,000, and the wallet limit for UPI Lite was fixed at ₹5,000.

Making a Global Mark

In 2025, features such as payments authenticated via phone fingerprint or face unlock and Aadhaar-based face authentication were introduced to UPI. A June 2025 IMF report revealed that UPI accounted for approximately 49% of global real-time payment transactions in 2024. In essence, over the span of a decade, UPI has not only transformed India's digital payment landscape but has also established a presence internationally; its current availability in 11 countries underscores the growing recognition of India's digital payment model.