India’s most used digital payment network, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), faced a widespread disruption once again on Saturday, affecting users across the country. It was the third outage reported in less than a month, sparking concerns about the reliability of one of the most relied-upon financial services in the country.
The disruption made it difficult for users to complete payments on various apps, including Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and others. The outage also impacted major banks such as SBI, HDFC, and ICICI, creating a momentary freeze in the daily digital financial activity of millions.
The problem began around 11:26 a.m., according to Downdetector, a website that monitors real-time internet outages. Reports peaked within 15 minutes, as thousands of users took to social media to report failed payments and transaction errors. Some people were stuck at restaurants, shops, or petrol stations, unable to make payments.
🚨 UPI services have been affected with multiple reports of failure of transactions from across the country.
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) April 12, 2025
Others reported failed fund transfers, delays in receiving money, or inability to access UPI features through their banking apps. Though the services appeared to recover within a few hours, the short disruption once again raised questions about the system’s preparedness for mass usage and its growing dependence by businesses and individuals alike.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which manages the UPI network, acknowledged the issue. It released a short statement saying that intermittent technical issues were causing partial failures in UPI transactions. The statement added that the issue was being worked on and the corporation regretted the inconvenience caused. However, the NPCI did not offer any explanation for the repeated service failures nor did it provide a timeline for permanent resolution of these recurring problems.
The recent outage is not an isolated incident. On April 2, users had reported similar issues with UPI-based payments. That day, Downdetector logged over 500 complaints, with the majority related to fund transfer failures and declined payments. Prior to that, on March 26, UPI was again down for a large number of users, and the failure lasted for several hours. These repeated disruptions in a short period have caused concern among users, especially small business owners who depend entirely on digital payments for daily transactions.
how I look at the shopkeeper while trying to do a upi payment today#UPIDown pic.twitter.com/4A3uGAj0Sp
— Ramen 🍉 (@CoconutShawarma) April 12, 2025
The scale and frequency of the disruptions point toward systemic issues, although NPCI has not issued a comprehensive report on the root causes. In today’s context, when UPI is being promoted as the backbone of digital payments in India and is being exported as a model to other countries, such outages raise questions on its technical framework. Over the past few years, the usage of UPI has grown rapidly, with the system processing over 12 billion transactions in March 2025 alone. The sheer volume suggests that even a minor technical glitch can create disruption for millions.
Users expressed their frustration through social media. Hashtags such as #UPIDown and #GPayNotWorking began trending on X (formerly Twitter). Memes, complaints, and screenshots of failed transactions flooded the platform. One user joked about being unable to pay for lunch, while another expressed concern over the lack of advance notice or explanation for the outage. Many asked for better communication from banks and NPCI in case of system issues. Some called for the introduction of backup payment systems or better integration between UPI and traditional banking methods.
🚨UPI is down, Please carry your wallet#UPI #NPCI #DigitalPayments #Paytm #phonepe #gpay pic.twitter.com/E4OEfGsTvA
— Everyday Pursuits (@evrydaypursuit) April 12, 2025
The lack of official details has also fueled speculations. In the absence of clear updates, users and analysts have speculated about server overloads, poor infrastructure planning, and pressure on banks to maintain high success rates amid rising usage. While the real cause remains unknown, the reaction from the public has been unified in its demand for better service and accountability.
UPI was introduced in 2016 with the promise of providing a fast, reliable, and cost-effective digital payment platform. Over time, it became a key part of India’s cashless economy push. The service enabled users to link their bank accounts with mobile numbers and allowed them to make instant payments at zero cost. With its success, several private apps including Google Pay, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, and Paytm built their platforms on the UPI framework. As a result, UPI’s growth has been rapid and widespread. Today, even street vendors accept UPI payments, making it one of the few services that has penetrated all economic layers of Indian society.
Due to the rise in digital payment volumes, UPI has become a critical infrastructure. The Reserve Bank of India has supported this growth with policy decisions aimed at improving accessibility and trust. Just this week, the RBI approved an increase in UPI’s person-to-merchant (P2M) transaction limits, with an aim to encourage more commercial use. This move was expected to allow higher-value transactions to happen more smoothly. However, the frequent technical issues suggest that scaling up the system further without strengthening its foundations could backfire.
Banks too have come under scrutiny. Although NPCI manages UPI, the transaction success rate also depends on how well individual banks manage their servers and respond to load spikes. In the past, it has been observed that some banks have lower success rates than others, leading to inconsistent user experience across apps. NPCI has tried to fix this by setting guidelines for performance and penalizing underperforming banks. Still, the recent outages show that these measures have not been entirely successful.
All major banks and UPI are down.
SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, BOI. Google Pay as well pic.twitter.com/qTotId4qPj
— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) April 12, 2025
There is also a growing call for transparency from the authorities. While private app makers often take the blame for failed payments, it is the back-end banking and UPI infrastructure that is at fault in most cases. Users have asked for more clear status updates and a common platform where real-time service disruptions can be officially acknowledged and tracked. Today, users depend on Downdetector or social media chatter to know whether an issue is widespread or isolated. This creates confusion, especially in rural areas where access to reliable information is limited.
In terms of policy, experts have said that the government and regulators need to take these outages seriously. A digital-first economy must have a strong digital infrastructure. Just like power supply or telecom networks, digital payment services must be treated as essential services and protected against frequent failure. For that, the system may need regular audits, investments in backend infrastructure, and more robust contingency plans.
Meanwhile, users are left wondering how they can continue to depend on a service that fails frequently. Many users reported being caught in embarrassing situations — unable to pay for groceries, rides, or even medical expenses. While digital payments are fast and convenient, repeated service failures make them unreliable. This has led some users to go back to carrying cash, defeating the very purpose of a digital economy. For daily wage workers, small vendors, and others who depend on daily collections, such outages are not just an inconvenience but a financial risk.
It is also important to point out that this is not the first time digital payment infrastructure has been questioned. Similar service interruptions were seen during peak shopping seasons and festivals in the past. At those times, the rise in transactions exposed weaknesses in the payment system. The current trend of repeated UPI failures raises the same concern again — that the system may be growing faster than it can support.
