India’s real-time payments network recorded a sharp rise in transaction volumes during Diwali, reflecting the growing scale of digital payments across retail and commerce.
UPI transactions reached 916.9 million on 8 November, Diwali, compared with 695.7 million on the corresponding day last year, according to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This represents a 32 per cent increase in transaction volume.
In value terms, transactions on Diwali stood at ₹90,029.43 crore, compared with ₹88,350.79 crore a year earlier. Activity was also strong on 7 November, when UPI processed 975.8 million transactions worth ₹1,36,118 crore.
The latest figures follow another record month in October, when UPI transactions touched 25.47 billion, with a total value of ₹31.53 lakh crore. The continued growth highlights the role of UPI in everyday retail payments, merchant transactions and India’s broader digital economy.
The surge during a high-volume festive period also places the spotlight on the resilience and scalability of the underlying payments infrastructure. Banks, payment service providers, fintechs and technology partners must ensure uptime, fraud monitoring, dispute handling and customer support keep pace with transaction growth.
Why it matters for BFSI: The figures are a strong indicator of the scale and peak-load capacity required of India’s real-time payments infrastructure. They also create a useful editorial angle on payment reliability, fraud prevention and merchant acceptance.
Source: Business Standard / PTI, 10 November 2026
