Worldline Releases India Digital Payments Report 1H 2025

Worldline, a global leader in payment services, has released the India Digital Payments Report (1H 2025), offering a comprehensive view of the country’s evolving payment ecosystem. The report captures the remarkable acceleration in UPI adoption, growth in digital acceptance infrastructure, and the continued transformation of consumer payment behaviour across both urban and rural India.

Key Highlights from the Report

• UPI continues to power India’s payment revolution
• UPI transaction volumes surged 35% year-on-year, reaching 106.36 billion transactions worth ₹143.34 trillion in 1H 2025.
• The average ticket size declined from ₹1,478 in 1H 2024 to ₹1,348 — highlighting the growing frequency of small-value, everyday transactions.
• P2M transactions grew 37% to 67.01 billion, underscoring the “Kirana Effect” as micro and small merchants become the backbone of digital acceptance.

• QR-led acceptance network reaches new heights
• India’s UPI QR network more than doubled to 678 million by June 2025 — a 111% growth from January 2024.
• PoS terminals increased 29% to 11.2 million, while Bharat QR grew 12% to 6.72 million.
• India now operates the world’s largest merchant network, led by rapid small-business onboarding and government-backed inclusion programs.

• Cards repositioned as premium instruments
• Credit card usage continues to expand, with outstanding cards growing 23% between January 2024 and June 2025.
• Monthly credit card spends crossed ₹2.2 trillion, even as average ticket size declined 6%, showing deeper penetration into daily-use categories.
• Debit card usage at PoS fell nearly 8%, as low-value transactions migrated to UPI.

• FASTag and Bharat Connect redefine everyday infrastructure
• FASTag transactions grew 16% YoY to 2.32 billion, while value rose 18% to ₹405 billion, extending into parking and campus access use cases.
• Bharat Connect (Bharat BillPay) transactions surged 76% YoY to 1.49 billion, with value jumping 220% to ₹6.9 trillion, reflecting the rise of recurring, “set-and-forget” digital payments.

• Net Banking remains the high-value backbone
• While volumes dipped slightly to 2.22 billion, Net Banking transaction value rose 30% to ₹717 trillion, led by corporate, government, and treasury flows.

• Mobile payments dominate everyday life
• Mobile payments grew 30% YoY to 98.9 billion transactions, worth ₹209.7 trillion, affirming India’s “mobile-first” shift.
• The average ticket size dropped 10% to ₹2,120, showing rapid adoption across smaller, frequent purchases.

Ramesh Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer – India, Worldline, said, “India’s digital payment story is no longer about convenience — it’s about empowerment. From micro-merchants to large corporates, everyone now transacts on the same rails of trust and innovation. As we look ahead, the focus must be on making this ecosystem sustainable, inclusive, and globally connected.”