NEW DELHI: Praising the remarkable achievement of India’s rise in fintech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on September 9 that the country’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is the “undisputed champion” of this success story.
Inaugurating the ‘Global Fintech Fest 2026’ in Mumbai, PM Modi said, “This is such a massive transformation that whenever fintech is discussed, it will remain incomplete without UPI.”
Reflecting on the tenth anniversary of UPI celebrated on August 25, the Prime Minister contrasted early scepticism from financial elites with the current reality where millions of previously unbanked citizens now drive the digital economy.
PM Modi pointed out that over 24 billion UPI transactions occurred in August alone, meaning roughly 50 lakh transactions were processed in just the first ten minutes of the event. He cited French President Emmanuel Macron to underscore that this phenomenal adoption rate transcends technology.
“It is because of this impact that French President Emmanuel Macron said that UPI is not just a tech story, it is a civilizational story,” PM Modi remarked.
Highlighting the global expansion of India’s flagship digital payment system, the Prime Minister said that UPI is now live in 11 countries, turning what was once unimaginable into an everyday reality for international payments.
“These are astonishing figures that tell us how long a journey we have covered,” PM Modi said.
Setting the stage for future ambitions, the Prime Minister challenged the industry to view current achievements as merely a starting point rather than a final destination.
