UPI fee burden won't fall on consumers, govt plans to track merchants: Report

The NPCI, which operates the UPI platform, issued a circular on September 15 introducing MDR on certain UPI transactions.

The Union finance ministry is preparing a monitoring system to ensure that the burden of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions above ₹2000 is not passed on to consumers.

According to sources quoted in a PTI report, the ministry has already initiated discussions with payment aggregators and other stakeholders in the UPI ecosystem to sensitise them about the MDR and ensure that the burden is not passed on to consumers.

The NPCI, which operates the UPI platform, issued a circular on September 15 introducing MDR for certain UPI transactions to create a sustainable revenue framework for the digital payments ecosystem.

₹2,000">A 0.4 per cent MDR will apply to person-to-merchant UPI payments above ₹2,000 from October 15. The government says that the charge will be paid by merchants, not consumers. MDR will be capped at ₹300 for transactions of ₹75,000 or more.

Payments between individuals, as well as the vast majority of everyday merchant payments, will remain free.

MDR not brought under US pressure, ministry says

The finance ministry on Thursday dismissed allegations that US pressure influenced the decision to levy a 0.4 per cent MDR on select UPI transactions, saying the latest NPCI guidelines do not give international credit cards any advantage over RuPay

The ministry also asserted that it does not expect the levy to trigger a shift towards cash transactions.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued the clarification in response to observations in the US Trade Representative's (USTR) 2026 report on the inability of US electronic payment service providers to participate in the UPI ecosystem, including credit transactions on UPI, on a level playing field with RuPay.

"The NPCI circular of September 15, 2026, does not allow credit transactions on UPI by any other credit card other than the RuPay credit card. There is a clear policy of only allowing RuPay credit cards on UPI to enable RuPay credit cards to become the preferred choice of credit cards amongst users in India," the DFS said in a post on X.

"The allegation that MDR has been introduced under any external influence is patently false and misleading," it added.

The assertion comes amid allegations by some Opposition parties, including the Congress, that the government had succumbed to US pressure in deciding to impose a 0.4 per cent MDR on UPI transactions above ₹2,000.

According to the US Trade Representative's 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on foreign trade barriers, the US continued to raise concerns over informal and formal policies with respect to electronic payment services that appear to favour Indian domestic suppliers over foreign suppliers, creating a non-level playing field.

It has expressed concerns over the inability of US electronic payment services suppliers to participate in the UPI ecosystem, including credit transactions on UPI on a level playing field with RuPay.

America has also stated that in November 2020, NPCI announced a market share limitation of 30 per cent (measured by transactions) for third-party app providers initiating online payments made through India's UPI.

Reduction in UPI transactions ‘not anticipated’

Sources quoted in the PTI report also anticipated that the imposition of MDR would not lead to a reduction in UPI transactions as only 4 per cent of total volume is getting impacted due to the decision.

They also highlighted that the transactions through RuPay debit cards are completely free regardless of amount.

They also rejected the notion that the policy could have an inflationary impact.

Shivam Pratap Singh is a digital journalist who works as a Deputy Chief Content Producer with Hindustan Times. Having previously worked with various platforms covering national, international as well as sports events, he blends in various topics to easy to read news pieces for the benefit of the reader. Shivam holds a Master's degree in International Relations from Jamia Millia Islamia, bringing in a unique perspective for whatever is happening around the world. An avid reader, he can be seen immersed in books and book shops while not working. Shivam treats every topic almost equally but loves to right about foreign affairs and politics of India. He has over half-a-decade of experience in digital journalism though his career started in print.Read More