UPI Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) [Prelims Bits]

18 Sep 2026

Tags: Prelims   Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Hindu

  • From 15 October 2026, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will introduce MDR on selected Unified Payments Interface (UPI) merchant transactions.
  • It mainly applies to ₹2,000+ payments to mid/large merchants; Person-to-Person (P2P) transactions remain free.
  • Standard MDR: 0.4% on UPI payments of ₹2,000+ to mid/large merchants.
  • Small merchants: MDR-exempt if receiving up to ₹1 lakh/month through UPI QR under the Person-to-Person-Merchant (P2PM) category.
  • Merchant payments ≤₹2,000: No MDR.
  • Essential/thin-margin sectors — railways, telecom, insurance, fuel, agricultural inputs: ₹5 flat MDR for transactions ≥₹2,000.
  • Capital-market payments — mutual funds, stockbrokers/dealers and equities: 0.02% MDR, capped at ₹300/transaction.
  • MDR-applicable transactions constitute about 2.5% of UPI transaction volume but around 20% of transaction value.
  • Potential maximum MDR revenue: approximately ₹2,400 crore/month.
  • MDR distribution: Largest share → payer/customer’s bank, followed by merchant’s bank, UPI apps and other payment processors.
  • Major UPI apps: PhonePe and Google Pay together account for nearly 80% of transaction volume.
  • NPCI is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payment and settlement systems in India and operates UPI.
  • UPI is an instant payment system developed by NPCI, enabling multiple bank accounts to be linked through a single mobile application.

Prelims Question

Q1. A merchant receives the following UPI credits in a month:

  • ₹1,20,000 through UPI QR into a personal bank account.
  • The merchant had exceeded ₹1 lakh of inward UPI credits for the preceding three consecutive months.
  • During the month, several individual customer payments exceeded ₹2,000.

Under the framework described in the article, which one of the following is the most appropriate conclusion?

(a) The merchant remains exempt because all UPI QR receipts into a personal account are treated as P2PM transactions.

(b) The merchant is treated under the regular P2M category, and transactions above ₹2,000 can attract the applicable MDR.

(c) The merchant automatically becomes subject to the ₹5 flat MDR applicable to essential services.

(d) The merchant becomes subject to MDR only if individual transactions exceed ₹75,000.

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

  • (a) Incorrect: P2PM exemption is subject to the ₹1 lakh/month threshold; exceeding it for three consecutive months results in migration to regular P2M.
  • (b) Correct: Once shifted to P2M, the applicable MDR framework for merchant payments applies, including the ₹2,000 threshold.
  • (c) Incorrect: The ₹5 flat MDR is specific to specified essential services, not all merchants.
  • (d) Incorrect: ₹75,000 is relevant to the MDR cap, not to determining whether MDR becomes applicable.