MAM
PhonePe emerges as the largest player on merchant UPI transactions
MUMBAI: PhonePe, India’s fastest growing digital payments platform today announced that it has emerged as the market leader, driving the highest number of merchant UPI transactions in August. PhonePe app drove 380+ Million transactions in August, with 90+ Million Offline transactions. This phenomenal growth is driven by PhonePe’s acceptance as a payment option across 65 lac Kirana and retail stores across 210+ cities in India.
Speaking on the milestone, Vivek Locheb, Head of Offline Business Development said, “Our interoperable QR code makes it easy & affordable for MSMEs across India to accept digital payments at zero MDR rates for mass retail kirana shops. As India’s largest transaction platform, we will continue working to digitally connect Indian consumers to local shops and service providers.”
PhonePe was the first payment player to launch the interoperable QR code. Today, the PhonePe QR code is deployed across 65 lakh merchant outlets across India. This PhonePe innovation has made it extremely simple (and free) for the neighborhood Kirana store to accept digital payments. Rather than having multiple QR codes, merchants just need to display one single QR code at their store front to accept digital payments through any Unified Payment Interface (UPI)-enabled app such as PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, BHIM etc.
PhonePe takes a partnership model and works very closely with all its merchants. PhonePe is helping merchants grow their business by enabling them to tap into its massive consumer platform, thereby driving more footfalls for the merchants. PhonePe had also launched the “PhonePe for Business” app last year to provide faster settlement and reconciliation for its merchant partners. The app has been downloaded by more than 42 lakh merchants across India.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
