# UPI free for consumers; Mastercard sees it as complementary 2026-08-06T11:31:26+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Payments Council of India (PCI) clarified on Friday that UPI transactions will remain free for consumers and small merchants, including kirana stores, allaying fears of possible charges. The assurance came amid debate over merchant discount rates. Separately, Mastercard India head Gautam Aggarwal said UPI has helped expand India's digital payments ecosystem and is complementary to its business. He noted India has the world's largest digital payments market in absolute terms but still has room for deeper penetration. Aggarwal added that Mastercard has invested heavily in cybersecurity and praised India's regulatory framework. PCI said any merchant service charges would be commercial arrangements between merchants and providers, not levied on consumers. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com - economictimes.indiatimes.com Tags: cybersecurity, digital payments, Mastercard, UPI Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mastercard-says-upi-has-expanded-indias-digital-payments-market/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mastercard-says-upi-has-expanded-indias-digital-payments-market/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.