२ हजार रुपयांपर्यंतच्या यूपीआय आणि 'रुपे' डेबिट कार्ड व्यवहारांवर...

By GT24x7 Reporter · 15 September 2026 · GlobalToday24x7

The Central Government on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, issued an authoritative regulatory clarification confirming that no transaction charges or convenience fees can be imposed on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions up to Rs 2,000. Under the same statutory directive, payments completed via indigenous RuPay debit cards up to the Rs 2,000 threshold will also remain entirely exempt from any form of processing levy. The decision provides substantial clarity amid persistent speculative reports regarding potential convenience fees on micro-digital transactions.

The directive has been formally notified by the Ministry of Finance exercising statutory powers conferred under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Under the gazette notification, both RuPay debit card transactions and UPI payments valued up to Rs 2,000 have been officially designated and notified as prescribed "electronic payment modes" protected from retail merchant and consumer fee deductions.

Prohibition on Direct and Indirect Processing Surcharges The administrative notification establishes a binding compliance framework across commercial lenders, cooperative financial institutions, payment aggregators, and system operators:

* Complete Fee Ban: Neither commercial banks nor payment system operators are permitted to recover any fee, convenience cost, or processing levy—directly or indirectly—from either the payer or the recipient utilizing these notified electronic conduits. * Protection of Small-Ticket Retail: Transactions capped up to Rs 2,000 constitute the substantial majority of daily retail digital payments in the country, encompassing daily grocery expenditures, local transport, small vendor purchases, and peer-to-merchant (P2M) micro-transfers. * Strengthening Merchant Confidence: The enforcement ensures that small neighborhood kirana merchants and micro-entrepreneurs continue adopting digital acceptance systems without fear of hidden Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) deductions eroding profit margins.

Policy Intent and Digital Financial Deepening The zero-charge mandate reinforces the Union Government’s sustained objective to accelerate the formalization of the national economy through frictionless, accessible digital public infrastructure. By eliminating fee ambiguities on high-volume, low-value retail transactions, the directive seeks to anchor UPI and RuPay as universal, democratic transaction rails accessible to citizens across rural, peri-urban, and metropolitan areas without financial friction.