{
  "id": 12794592,
  "title": "UPI MDR rollout may be deferred beyond festive season to Jan 1; shares fall: Report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/upi-mdr-rollout-may-be-deferred-beyond-festive-season-to-jan-1-shares",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-08T04:40:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times - Economy",
    "slug": "the-economic-times-economy",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/upi-mdr-rollout-may-be-deferred-beyond-festive-season-to-jan-1-report/articleshow/134779801.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A proposal to delay the implementation of merchant discount rates (MDR) on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions to January 1st instead of the original October 15th date is being considered, according to local media reports. The decision is expected to be made within the coming days, providing some relief to retailers as the festive season begins. Local newspaper Business Standard cited sources reporting that the MDR would only become effective after the festive period. Transactions above Rs 2,000 are expected to attract a 0.4% MDR, with the exemption for lower-value transactions remaining in place. Share prices of payment aggregator companies Paytm, Mobikwik, and Pine Labs dropped significantly following the news, with Paytm's market capitalization falling below Rs 1 lakh crore. The proposal emerged after traders and industry groups raised concerns that introducing MDR during the festive sales period would increase transaction costs for businesses. The proposal was discussed during a meeting of the UPI and Service Steering Committee led by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).",
  "summary": "A proposal is under consideration to delay the implementation of Merchant Discount Rates for Unified Payments Interface. This decision is expected to relieve retailers during the festive season and was initially set for October 15. Recent protests by traders against MDR introduction led to consultations among industry stakeholders. Payment aggregators like Paytm and Mobikwik saw significant share…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}