NPCI

NPCI — National Payments Corporation of India What is NPCI? NPCI is the umbrella organization for all retail payment systems in India. Founded in 2008 by RBI and Indian Banks’ Association, it operates UPI, RuPay, IMPS, and more—processing 15+ billion transactions monthly. NPCI’s Role Infrastructure Provider Payment Switch: Routes transactions between banks Settlement: End-of-day clearing and settlement Standards: Unified technical specifications Security: Centralized fraud monitoring Governance Ownership: Banks (51%), RBI (1%), NPCI (48%) Board: Scheduled rotation among promoter banks Oversight: RBI regulatory supervision NPCI Products Real-Time Payments UPI: 10+ billion monthly transactions UPI Lite: Offline micro-payments Credit on UPI: Credit line integration Other Systems IMPS: 24/7 interbank transfers RuPay: Domestic card network Bharat BillPay: Utility bill payments AePS: Banking correspondent services NACH: Bulk payment system RuPay Card Network What is RuPay? India’s domestic card network (launched 2012) competing with Visa/Mastercard. Over 900 million cards issued. ...

UPI — Unified Payments Interface What is UPI? UPI is India’s real-time payment system enabling instant fund transfers between bank accounts via mobile apps. Launched in 2016 by NPCI, it handles 10+ billion transactions monthly (2024), making it the world’s largest payment platform. How UPI Works Transaction Flow Sender Opens App: Selects UPI, enters recipient’s UPI/VPA Authenticates: Enters MPIN or uses biometrics Verification: Sender’s bank validates Processing: NPCI routes to receiver’s bank Confirmation: Instant SMS/notification to both Key Entities Payer PSP: Sender’s app (PhonePe, Paytm, GPay) Payee PSP: Receiver’s app NPCI: Central switch routing transactions Bank: Settlement participant UPI Features Payment Types P2P Transfer: Person to person P2M Transfer: Person to merchant (QR, UPI ID) Collect Request: Request money from someone Bill Payments: Via BBPS integration UPI Lite: Offline low-value payments (<₹500) Advanced Features UPI Autopay: Recurring payments (SIP, subscriptions) UPI International: Singapore, UAE, France, UK Credit on UPI: Credit line payments (new) Voice UPI: Voice commands for transfers Transaction Limits (2024) Transaction Type Limit Per Transaction ₹1,00,000 Daily Limit ₹2,00,000 (customizable) UPI Lite ₹500 per transaction PPI Wallet ₹10,000/month UPI Statistics (2024) Monthly Volume: 10+ billion transactions Monthly Value: ₹18+ lakh crore Registered Users: 400+ million Merchants: 50+ million Security Features Authentication MPIN: 4-6 digit secret PIN Biometrics: Fingerprint, face recognition Device Binding: Single device access Tokenization: Card data protection Fraud Prevention Handle Verification: Never pay to fake IDs Screen Share: Never share during payment Transaction Alerts: SMS + push notifications UPI Global Expansion Countries Live Singapore: GPay, liquid, NTUC UAE: LuLu, Wallets France: Bhim, indian banks UK: Zips How International UPI Works Link Indian bank account to international number Convert INR to local currency automatically Same UPI ID works abroad Common Issues & Solutions Failed Transactions Insufficient Balance: Add funds Bank Server Down: Try later Daily Limit Reached: Wait or increase limit Wrong UPI ID: Verify recipient Dispute Resolution Bank Level: 24-48 hours NPCI Level: For PSP disputes RBI Ombudsman: For unresolved issues Prime References NPCI UPI - Official documentation UPI Chalega - Government campaign RBI Payment Systems This 101 guide is part of DPIWatch’s citizen education initiative. Last updated: March 2026. ...