UPI adoption surges among women: 84% of female entrepreneurs, 54% of rural earners now pay digitally
A DBS Bank India study of 1,342 women finds broad digital-payments uptake—72% of entrepreneurs use UPI, 77% among high-net-worth women, and 50% of urban entrepreneurs lean on credit cards. Rising card use and travel-rewards preferences point to shifting retail payment behavior.
What happened
DBS Bank India study finds high UPI and digital-payment adoption among women—84% of entrepreneurs, 54% rural earners—with growing credit-card use and travel
Key facts
- 84% female entrepreneurs use digital payments
- 54% rural women earners use UPI
- 72% entrepreneurs UPI usage
- 77% HNW women UPI
- 1,342 women surveyed
- 50% urban entrepreneurs use credit cards
Why this matters
Growing card use and travel-rewards preferences among affluent women point to partnership or acquisition targets in rewards-linked payment products.
What to watch
- Rural adoption crossing 60% or stalling below 55% in next survey cycle
- Card-issuer campaigns explicitly targeting women segments
- RBI/NPCI policy shifts on UPI-credit linkage or MDR
- Rise in women-merchant credit-line uptake and default rates
- Growth in travel-rewards redemption among female cardholders
- Segment women-merchant cohorts by UPI-frequency to pre-qualify for credit and card products
- Pilot women-focused co-brand cards with travel-rewards hooks for HNW/urban tiers
- Deploy vernacular, assisted onboarding for rural earners to convert the 46% still on cash
- Bundle UPI-linked working-capital lines for female entrepreneurs using transaction data
- Instrument checkout to capture channel mix (UPI vs card vs cash) for retail partners