Major UPI Outage Disrupts Digital Transactions Across India

A widespread disruption in Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services affected users across India, preventing them from sending or receiving payments through popular platforms such as Google Pay, Paytm, and SBI’s YONO app. The outage led to a sharp rise in transaction failures, with peak issues reported during the late afternoon and evening.

Nationwide Impact on Digital Payments

According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks service outages, there was a significant increase in complaints related to failed transactions, payment processing errors, and app malfunctions. The disruption impacted multiple banks and payment services, causing inconvenience to millions who rely on UPI for their daily financial transactions.

Breakdown of the Issues Reported

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates the UPI network, saw extensive service failures across different areas:

• 64% of complaints were related to fund transfer failures
• 28% of users faced issues with payment processing
• 8% reported glitches affecting the functionality of UPI apps

State Bank of India (SBI), one of the largest UPI service providers, also experienced major technical difficulties:

• 57% of complaints were about fund transfer failures
• 34% of users encountered mobile banking problems
• 9% faced issues with checking their account balances

Peak Disruption Period and User Reactions

Reports indicate that UPI failures peaked between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM, while SBI’s service issues began earlier, with users reporting problems as early as 10:00 PM the previous night. The disruption caused frustration among customers, leading to a surge of complaints on social media regarding failed payments, delayed refunds, and app crashes.

Possible Causes and Official Response

So far, neither NPCI nor the affected banks have issued an official statement explaining the cause of the outage. However, initial reports suggest that the issue might have been due to technical glitches. Many users reported seeing error messages like “UPI down in India” when attempting transactions. Some users also noted that funds deducted from their accounts were later refunded.

The incident has raised concerns about the stability and reliability of India’s digital payment infrastructure, with questions being raised about whether the failure was caused by server overload, system maintenance, or cybersecurity threats.

What Users Can Do Until Services Are Restored

While efforts are underway to resolve the issue, users are advised to:

✅ Check for official updates from NPCI and their respective banks
✅ Use alternative payment methods such as net banking, credit/debit cards, or mobile wallets
✅ Avoid retrying failed transactions multiple times to prevent duplicate deductions

Authorities are working on restoring the UPI system to full functionality. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.