Explainer: What’s behind proposal of 1-hour delay for UPI payments

Surge in digital fraud cases forces a rethink by RBI on prioritising security over speed, but opinion remains divided on the move

Gagandeep Arora

Updated At : 05:56 AM Apr 19, 2026 IST

India’s real-time payments revolution, powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), has made instant money transfer a daily habit. But that defining feature — speed — is now under scrutiny as cases of digital fraud surge.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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Explainer: What’s behind proposal of 1-hour delay for UPI payments

Surge in digital fraud cases forces a rethink by RBI on prioritising security over speed, but opinion remains divided on the move

Gagandeep Arora

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