RBI Governor has made its stand on free UPI.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra made it clear in a press conference after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting that no proposal has been placed before the Central Bank to impose a fee on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions. In the press conference held after the last policy meeting, the governor issued an explanation on the issue. He had said that I never said that UPI will be free forever. I just said that (UPI transactions related to transaction) are costs, and they have to repay it to someone. He had said that who makes payment is important, but it is not more important than the person paying the bill. Therefore, it is important for the stability of this model to make some payment collectively or personally.
Zero cost UPI worry
The governor has expressed concern over the stability of the zero-cost structure of UPI on several occasions. Speaking at a BFSI summit in Mumbai in July, he said that he had pointed to the rapid expansion of digital payment, saying that this (UPI) is an important infrastructure. The government believes that this free should be available and the government is giving subsidy on it. And I would say that it has got good results. According to RBI data, in August 2025, UPI processed 20 billion transactions, with a year-on volume by 34 per cent.
This big statement was given
Malhotra then insisted that the important thing is that UPI, or any other payment system, be accessible, cheap, safe and durable… and it will be durable only when someone costs its cost. So as long as it is government or someone else – whether it is so important – the important thing is that the cost of any service should be paid, whether collectively or from the users. Currently, the government is supporting UPI by giving subsidy in transaction cost. So that it can be kept free for users.