{
  "id": 329050,
  "title": "India says UPI payments will remain free for users",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/india-says-upi-payments-will-remain-free-for-users",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-08T21:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Qatar Tribune Business",
    "slug": "qatar-tribune-business",
    "url": "https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/247917/business/india-says-upi-payments-will-remain-free-for-users"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "India's government has reassured the public that users will continue to make free person-to-person UPI payments, despite rumors of potential charges. The Finance Ministry stated that both person-to-person and business-to-business UPI transactions will remain free of direct fees. However, a \"small\" Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) could be introduced for a limited number of transactions if approved changes to the law are passed by Parliament. MDR is a fee paid by businesses to banks for processing digital payments, which is typically deducted from the transaction amount and shared among the involved banks. The government emphasized that any future MDR would be \"threshold-based and not blanketly levied,\" indicating it would only apply to transactions exceeding certain limits. The proposed changes are part of the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, currently pending before Parliament. If passed, an NPCI-led committee would decide on the implementation of MDR. Introduced in 2020, India's zero MDR policy for UPI and RuPay debit-card transactions was aimed at promoting digital payments. The government has been reimbursing payment companies and banks to support the UPI system. The proposed amendment aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of the digital payments ecosystem, as the UPI system's maintenance costs have surpassed government subsidies. While the government has not confirmed any specific transaction threshold for the potential MDR, the current stance is clear: consumers will not face fees for using UPI.",
  "summary": "AgenciesIndia’s government has clarified that users will continue to make free payments through the country’s widely used United Payments Interface (UPI), despite speculation that...",
  "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."
}