India tops globally in real-time payments

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today highlighted the remarkable growth in India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, stating that there has been a more than 90-fold increase in DBT volumes over the past decade.

In a social media post, the Minister noted that DBT disbursals have grown from just ₹7,000 crore in 2014 to ₹6.83 lakh crore in the financial year 2023–24, showcasing the scale and efficiency India has achieved in delivering welfare benefits directly to citizens.

In a separate update, Sitharaman also emphasized India’s leadership in the global real-time payments ecosystem. She reported that in FY 2024–25, India processed over ₹260 lakh crore in real-time payment transactions, positioning it far ahead of other nations in terms of both value and reach.

Further underscoring the system's scale, the Finance Minister shared that nearly 18,600 crore transactions by volume are being handled annually, a testament to the digital infrastructure's capacity and the growing trust in digital financial services across the country.

These milestones, she indicated, reflect the government's continued focus on financial inclusion, transparency, and digital innovation, making India a global benchmark in digital public infrastructure.