US, Sept. 17 -- Finance Ministry has debunked claims which suggested that the MDR change in the UPI ecosystem is due to foreign influence, stressing that India's digital payments decisions are made independently.

Since its launch in 2016, UPI has grown into the world's largest real-time interoperable payment system - entirely on India's own terms, the ministry posted on social media platform X.

Such claims are "false. India's UPI policy decisions are made independently, with the clear goal of building a self-sustaining, inclusive, and affordable digital payments ecosystem," it noted.

UPI processed 24.5 billion transactions in August 2026 alone. To keep this system self-sustainable, secure and innovative, a small fee on high-value merch...