New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- Amid widespread discussion concerning transaction fees and merchant charges, the Payments Council of India (PCI) clarified that "UPI will continue to remain free for consumers" and that small merchants will not face charges for accepting digital payments.

"Merchant service charges, where applicable, are commercial arrangements between merchants and payment service providers. They do not mean that consumers pay to use digital payments," PCI posted on X.

Addressing questions regarding the sustainability of the platform, the PCI noted that Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed into the world's largest real-time payment system since its launch in 2016.

Because operating this national payment infrastructure r...