UPI launched in April 2016, and digital payments stopped being something only card and net-banking users did. Between FY18 and FY25, digital payment transactions multiplied more than elevenfold, from 2,071 crore to 22,831 crore a year. As money moved online, so did fraud, and India built a security system alongside the payment rails: the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (January 2020), and CERT-In's 2022 directions making it mandatory to report cyber incidents within six hours.
Fintech & Cyber Security
Fintech & Cyber Security
India built the world's largest real-time payments system and, alongside it, the defences to keep it safe. Digital payment transactions grew from 2,071 crore in 2017-18 to 22,831 crore in 2024-25; the Account Aggregator lets people share financial data with consent; and RBI's regulatory sandbox lets new fintech products be tested under supervision. On the security side, the national cyber-fraud reporting system has saved citizens more than ₹11,158 crore. At Global Fintech Fest 2026 the Prime Minister set four priorities: top-notch cyber security, ethical data protection standards, a strong regulator-industry innovation ecosystem and a Fintech Consumer Protection Index. The counter shows digital payment transactions a year.
₹11,158 cr
Saved from cyber fraudsters (June 2026)
25.29 cr
Account Aggregator users (Dec 2025)
11
Countries where UPI is live
Digital payment transactions per year
| Year | Digital payment transactions |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2,071 crore |
| 2019 | 3,134 crore |
| 2020 | 4,572 crore |
| 2021 | 5,554 crore |
| 2022 | 8,839 crore |
| 2023 | 13,462 crore |
| 2024 | 18,737 crore |
| 2025 | 22,831 crore |
2018
0crore
Digital payment transactions
20182025
Since 2018
Added
+20,760 crore
2018
2,071 crore
2025
22,831 crore
Why it matters When crores of payments move through phones every day, trust is the product. Strong cyber defences, clear data-protection rules and fast fraud reporting are what let first-time users, small shops and families rely on digital finance.
- Digital payment transactions: 2,071 crore (FY18) → 22,831 crore (FY25).
- UPI handled over 24,162 crore transactions in 2025-26 and is live in 11 countries.
- 252.9 million users had linked accounts on the Account Aggregator framework by 31 December 2025.
- The citizen cyber-fraud reporting system had saved more than ₹11,158 crore in 32.80 lakh complaints by 30 June 2026.
- Since April 2022, CERT-In's directions require cyber incidents to be reported within 6 hours.
- RBI's Digital Payments Index reached 516.76 in September 2025, from a base of 100 in March 2018.
History
Notable milestone
At Global Fintech Fest 2026 (September 2026) the Prime Minister asked the fintech sector to take up four collective tasks: top-notch cyber security, ethical data protection standards, a robust regulator-industry innovation ecosystem, and a Fintech Consumer Protection Index that would give every company a transparent rating. The data-protection foundation is already in place: the DPDP Rules, notified in November 2025, fully operationalised the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
How it works
Three layers work together. Rails: UPI and the Account Aggregator (launched September 2021) let money and financial data move instantly, with the user's consent. Rules: RBI's regulatory sandbox (August 2019) lets new products be tested in a controlled setting, and a public directory of Digital Lending Apps has operated since July 2025. Defence: a victim can report fraud on the 1930 helpline or cybercrime.gov.in, and the reporting system alerts banks so the money can be stopped before it is siphoned off; a Suspect Registry of mule accounts, launched in 2024, lets banks decline suspicious transfers.
Outlook
Next comes the Fintech Consumer Protection Index the Prime Minister proposed, alongside industry self-regulation: RBI recognised a second self-regulatory organisation for fintech in September 2026. With UPI now live in 11 countries, India's payment rails are also becoming an export, and the same security architecture travels with them.
By the numbers
2,071 → 22,831 crore digital payment transactions a year (FY18 → FY25). 24,162 crore+ UPI transactions (FY26), live in 11 countries. 25.29 crore Account Aggregator users (Dec 2025). ₹11,158 crore saved from cyber fraud in 32.80 lakh complaints (June 2026); ₹25,698 crore of transactions declined through the Suspect Registry. Sources: RBI, NPCI, MHA (I4C), MeitY, CERT-In, PIB.
Data current to: FY 2024-25
Source: RBI / NPCI / MeitY via PIB — digital payment transactions per financial year (crore), FY2017-18 to FY2024-25. · link