38% of Rural Women in India Use UPI Weekly for Daily Payments

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 5 March 2026

• 38% of women in rural and semi-urban India use UPI weekly for daily payment purposes
• 10,000 women agents from smaller towns and villages across India took part
• 85% of the women said they are the primary savers of their families

Trust also has a significant role to play in the adoption of financial services. About 78 percent of those interviewed said that they preferred to transact through women agents because of the sense of comfort.

The survey also indicates that there is growing interest in investment products such as savings, as well as protection products such as insurance. About 44 percent of the women interviewed said that they were open to investing in gold-based savings products through small-ticket SIPs.

Insurance penetration is; however, low, as only 26 per cent of the women interviewed said that they already had some form of insurance, such as health, life, or accident policies.

Borrowing also indicates a similar trend in the purposeful usage of financial services. About 73 per cent of the women interviewed said that they were open to taking credit for purposes such as health, education, agriculture, home repair, or business.

Cash withdrawals remain an essential part of daily transactions for households, with transactions largely happening between Rs 1,000 and 2,500. At the same time, digital transactions have become a routine part of life, with 71 percent of women able to independently operate their bank accounts.

Trust is also a factor for digital transactions, with 78 percent preferring to conduct transactions through women agents owing to comfort and familiarity.

Interestingly, the survey has also found that there is a rising interest in investment and protection products. Around 44 percent of women are willing to invest in gold-based savings products by purchasing small ticket SIPs.

Insurance penetration is still at a low, with only 26 percent of women having insurance policies, mainly for health, life, or accident insurance.

Women are also willing to borrow for purposeful requirements, with almost 73 percent willing to borrow formal credit for healthcare, education, agricultural inputs, home repairs, or business needs.