Updated
Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 12: Digital payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) resumed for most users on Saturday following a major nationwide outage that disrupted financial transactions for millions.
While the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has not officially confirmed full restoration, users in the Delhi-NCR region reported successful transactions through smartphone apps, suggesting gradual recovery of services.
Earlier in the day, the outage had paralyzed several online payment platforms across India, impacting local shopping, bill payments, and routine business operations.
The incident has reignited concerns over the robustness of the UPI infrastructure, even as it continues to play a central role in India’s digital economy.
Earlier report
Nationwide UPI glitch brings digital payments to halt, NPCI blames technical snag
Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 12: Millions of users across India faced payment failures on Saturday as the country’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system experienced a widespread outage, disrupting daily financial activities and leaving users scrambling for alternatives.
From local shopkeepers to online shoppers, the ripple effect of the disruption was felt across sectors. Digital payment services across several major platforms and banking apps came to a standstill, affecting transactions such as bill payments, shopping, and fund transfers.
According to Down Detector, a platform that tracks online service outages, over 2,300 complaints were logged by 1 pm. The majority (81 per cent) of the issues were related to failed payments, while 17 per cent pertained to fund transfer problems.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which runs UPI, attributed the disruption to a technical snag. “NPCI is currently facing intermittent technical issues, leading to partial UPI transaction declines,” it posted on X. “We are working to resolve the issue and will keep you updated. We regret the inconvenience caused.”
Major banking apps, including those of SBI, ICICI, and HDFC, also experienced disruptions, suggesting the issue was rooted deep within the UPI infrastructure.
Frustrated users took to social media to vent their concerns. “UPI is down again. Good that I always carry cash. Cash is always King,” one user wrote. Another remarked, “This is becoming way too frequent nowadays. First UPI goes down, then banks declare their own ‘downtime’ for UPI transactions.”
The outage comes at a time when UPI is seeing unprecedented growth. In March alone, UPI recorded a 13.59 per cent increase in transaction volume, reaching 18.3 billion transactions, up from 16.11 billion in February. The total transaction value for March stood at a record-breaking Rs 24.77 lac crore — a 12.79 per cent rise over the previous month.
With an average of over 590 million transactions per day, amounting to Rs 79,910 crore in daily volume, the disruption has highlighted the country’s growing dependence on digital payment systems. On a year-on-year basis, March’s transaction value surged by 25 per cent, and volume rose by 36 per cent — underlining the explosive growth of India’s digital payments ecosystem.
The incident raises questions about the resilience of the UPI infrastructure, even as it continues to drive the digital economy forward through person-to-person and person-to-merchant transactions.