NPCI, the force behind UPI and RuPay, on solidifying its brand in 2025

India's digital payment landscape has witnessed unprecedented growth over the past five years, transforming how millions of Indians conduct daily transactions. At the heart of this fintech revolution is the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a not-for-profit organisation that has fundamentally reshaped how Indians transact. 

Established in 2008 as an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), NPCI has evolved into the cornerstone of India's digital payment ecosystem. The organisation operates a comprehensive suite of payment solutions that cater to diverse needs across the country.

From the ubiquitous UPI (Unified Payment Interface), which processes billions of transactions monthly, to the RuPay card network challenging global giants, NPCI has covered some significant ground within the space. But what lies ahead for the non-profit organisation?

afaqs! spoke to Ramesh Yadav, the chief marketing officer at NPCI, who outlines the organisation's strategic vision for 2025, emphasising a multi-pronged approach to expand digital payment adoption across India's diverse demographic landscape.

Rural expansion takes centre stage

NPCI's flagship offering, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which currently commands 80% of India's digital payment transactions, is poised for significant rural expansion. The organisation has strategically enlisted acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi as its brand ambassador, leveraging his substantial following in tier 2+ cities to bridge the digital payment adoption gap.

"Pankaj embodies UPI's brand ethos—rooted, humble, and simple," Yadav explains. "His credentials and journey align perfectly with our philosophy, helping us communicate with audiences who might be less comfortable with digital transactions."

The payment solutions provider continues to innovate across its product portfolio, especially with a focus on expansion into rural India.

To this effect, NPCI has introduced multiple products to solve consumer problems within the space. Recent launches include pinless UPI payments for smaller transactions, conversational UPI, and UPI 123pay, a suite of solutions developed for users with feature phones and users with limited or no internet connectivity to use UPI. 

For RuPay, NPCI's card payment network, the focus remains on capturing market share against established competitors.

The brand's sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL) serves as a key platform for building brand awareness and market penetration, and the plan is to continue advertising on India’s most popular impact property.

Targeted marketing approach

NPCI's marketing strategy reflects its diverse product portfolio through carefully segmented targeting. RuPay credit cards target specific age brackets—18-30 for regular offerings and 30-45 for premium products—while UPI targets anyone above 15 with a bank account and phone.

The organisation maintains a balanced media mix, with digital channels accounting for 40-50% of spending.

"For RuPay, which targets tier-one cities and metros, we focus more on digital channels. UPI campaigns allocate about 40% to digital and 60% to traditional media, including social media and influencer marketing," Yadav details.

With UPI's dominant position in digital payments comes a responsibility to promote safe usage. NPCI has launched several initiatives to create awareness about secure digital payments, including integration with the popular television show Kaun Banega Crorepati and the revival of RK Laxman's 'Common Man' campaign.

Future outlook

"There is a huge awareness of UPI, and people have also started identifying RuPay as a homegrown brand, which has gone international... But unfortunately, people don't attribute any of these products to NPCI."

Ramesh Yadav, NPCI

The organisation plans to boost corporate brand awareness, addressing the current disconnect where many consumers don't associate NPCI's popular products with the parent organisation.

Through these strategic initiatives, NPCI aims to strengthen its position as India's premier digital payments enabler while fostering greater financial inclusion across the nation.

“There is a huge awareness of UPI, and people have also started identifying RuPay as a homegrown brand, which has gone international. It is the only card network that is Indigenous, so to speak, and people have started identifying and resonating with it," says Yadav.

But unfortunately, people don't attribute any of these products to NPCI. The overall awareness of NPCI, per se, is not so much. "We have started doing some initiatives around corporate branding this year onwards,” he adds.

Looking ahead, NPCI sees convenience driving FinTech adoption. The organisation is developing innovative solutions like usage-based toll payments to replace fixed charges. "FinTech will continue solving real consumer problems, making transactions more convenient and efficient in the coming years," says NPCI's chief marketing officer.