What Caused Daily UPI Transactions to Reach 596 Million in April?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Daily UPI transactions reached 596 million in April.
- Total transaction value was Rs 24 lakh crore.
- Growth rate remains strong at 34.5 percent.
- NPCI is enhancing user experience with faster response times.
- FASTag and IMPS transactions also saw increases.
New Delhi, May 1 (NationPress) According to the latest data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the daily volume of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in the nation surged to 596 million in April, compared to 590 million in March.
The total value of transactions in April amounted to Rs 24 lakh crore, a decline from Rs 24.8 lakh crore in March, marking the 12th consecutive month of transactions exceeding Rs 20 lakh crore.
Despite this drop in value, the growth rate remained robust at 34.5 percent, with a significant 50.7 percent annualized increase in volumes by April 2024. Furthermore, the transaction value saw a 21.9 percent rise in comparison to the same period last year.
There was also a rise in daily transaction volumes for FASTag payments, used for toll and parking, reaching 12.75 million compared to 12.2 million the previous month, indicative of the country's economic activity.
FASTag transactions witnessed a strong growth of 17 percent, up from 12 percent in the prior month, with the total value climbing to Rs 227 crore from Rs 219 crore in March.
Daily volumes for IMPS, another payment method under NPCI's umbrella, increased to 14.98 million from 14.89 million in March.
In an effort to improve user experience and minimize delays, NPCI has updated the response timelines for UPI transactions. A circular issued on April 26 mandates banks and payment applications to adopt faster processing standards starting June 16.
This initiative is designed to minimize delays in payment processing, transaction verification, and reversals. NPCI has instructed all participating entities to ensure these expedited timelines do not result in increased technical declines or service interruptions.
For debit and credit transactions, the revised response time will now be 15 seconds, reduced from 30 seconds. The time for transaction reversals will drop from 30 seconds to 10 seconds. If a user wishes to validate an address, the new response time will be 10 seconds instead of 15 seconds.