UPI Alert: Transactions with Special Characters Will Be Blocked from February 1
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced that certain UPI transactions will not be processed starting February 1, 2024, if they do not comply with the latest regulations. According to NPCI's new guidelines, UPI transaction IDs containing special characters such as "@", "#", and "&" will no longer be valid. Instead, UPI operators have been instructed to generate transaction IDs using only alphanumeric characters (English letters and numbers).
To enforce this rule, NPCI issued a special circular on January 9, warning that any UPI transaction failing to meet this requirement will be unsuccessful from February 1 onwards. Users attempting transactions through non-compliant apps will be unable to complete their payments. NPCI clarified that this decision aims to prevent fraudulent transaction IDs and improve the traceability of financial activities.
UPI Transactions Continue to Surge
Meanwhile, UPI transactions in India are witnessing steady growth. According to NPCI data, the number of UPI transactions reached 16.73 billion in December 2024, marking an 8% increase from 15.48 billion in November 2024.
The total transaction value also saw a rise, reaching ₹23.25 lakh crore in December, up from ₹21.55 lakh crore in November. Additionally, the daily average number of UPI transactions increased from 516.07 million in November to 539.68 million in December.
