What is RBI’s Digital Payments Index?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced its Digital Payments Index in January 2021 to measure the extent of digitisation of payments in India. Published every six months, the index has been created using four parameters: payment enablers, payment infrastructure, payment performance and consumer centricity. Sub-parameters include frauds, complaints, unique users, cash withdrawals, bank branches and credit cards. The index for September 2021, published on January 19, was 304.06. This is 12 percent higher from March 2021 and 40 percent higher from September 2020. The RBI said this showed "significant growth in adoption and deepening of digital payments".