UPI Operator NPCI's Profit Zooms To Over Rs 1,100 Crore In FY24

National Payments Corp. of India, the owner and administrator of the Unified Payments Interface, has posted a profit of over Rs 1,100 crore in fiscal 2024 as its various payment systems gain more proliferation in the country.

NPCI, headed by Chief Executive Officer Dilip Asbe, posted a net surplus of Rs 1,134.3 crore in fiscal 2024, up 37% from the previous fiscal. The improved topline is a result of Rs 2,876 crore in revenue from operations, up from Rs 2,064 crore.

NPCI's expenditure also rose in line, coming in at Rs 1,739.5 crore, compared to Rs 1,183.4 crore in the previous fiscal. Its marketing expenses also jumped to Rs 781.8 crore from Rs 445.4 crore.

The company designates its profit as a net surplus since it is incorporated as a not-for-profit company under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.

NPCI operates as an umbrella organisation for retail payments and settlement systems in India. It was founded as an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks' Association in 2008.

How Does NPCI Earn?

NPCI's revenue primarily comes from operating retail payment systems in India. It operates various systems such as ATM network National Financial Switch, UPI payments, Bharat Bill Pay, RuPay Cards, BHIM, FASTag, NACH, Immediate Payment Service or IMPS, among many others.

It provides these services to its member banks and promoter banks, some of which are State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank Ltd., HDFC Bank Ltd., Citibank, and HSBC. In 2016, the NPCI's shareholding expanded to 56 member banks, and in 2020, new entities such as payment service operators, payment banks, and small finance banks gained shareholding in the NPCI.

As more and more payments started to go online, after events such as demonetisation and the Covid-19 pandemic, NPCI's ambit to provide more avenues for online transactions also grew, and its revenue followed.

As of fiscal 2024, there are 65 shareholders comprising 11 public sector banks, 18 private banks, five foreign banks, 10 co-operative banks, six regional rural banks, four small finance banks, one payments bank, and 10 payment system operators holding shares in NPCI.

In 2020, the company incorporated two subsidiaries, NPCI International Payments Ltd. and NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd. While NIPL's task is to take all of NPCI's products and services to other countries, NBBL's ambit is to operate the Bharat Bill Payment System, which offers bill payment services to consumers.