DBS Report Finds Surge in UPI Use among Rural Women

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Monday, 6 July 2026

According to The Digital Opportunity: Access, Adoption and Trust report by DBS Bank India, there has been a notable development in India's digital finance landscape, as a result of over 50% of rural women earners having used UPI to complete their financial transactions. This indicates the fast growth of digital payment infrastructure and increased acceptance of it by women in rural areas.

This report takes into consideration views from female entrepreneurs, High-Net-Worth (HNW) women, and rural women earners in understanding how digitalization is affecting the financial behaviors of women in various locations, at various economic levels, and at various life stages.

Highlighting the increasing importance of digital finance for women's participation in the economy, Divyesh Dalal, Managing Director and Country Head, Global Transaction Services, Corporate Banking, Financial Institutions and SMEs, DBS Bank India stated that the survey findings show the changing behavior of women when it comes to finances. According to him, the women entrepreneurs are making greater use of digital technology to carry out transactions, get financing, pay salaries, reach out to customers, and plan for the future.

Key Highlights:

• 84% of women entrepreneurs use digital payments, led by UPI adoption
• Over half of rural women earners now rely on UPI, DBS Bank finds
• DBS study highlights rising digital finance adoption among Indian women

The survey is a part of the 'Women and Finance' series conducted by DBS Bank and has been conducted with the help of 1,342 women from four regions of India. The survey helps to learn about the impact of digitalization on the way the women make financial decisions.

According to the study, female entrepreneurs are the most digitally savvy demographic, exhibiting the highest level of adopting financial technology solutions. Women business owners are now using various other digital platforms to operate their businesses, obtain finances, and achieve sustainable growth.

Digital payment platforms continue to reign supreme in the adoption space, as 84% of the female entrepreneurs use them in their business and personal transactions. UPI continues to be the go-to payment service channel, with 72% of female entrepreneurs, 77% of HNW women, and 54% of rural women earners having adopted UPI.

As per the findings of the report, 38% of respondents use digital loan and credit platforms, while 29% of them are using brokerage platforms for managing their investments. The adoption rate of brokerage platforms among HNW women is 28%.

The report further underscores the rising significance of credit cards amongst urban women. Out of the sample size of female entrepreneurs, about 50% of them used personal credit cards on a regular basis, which included 19% who used them daily and 31% used them multiple times a week. The use of credit cards is even more prevalent among HNW women, where 53% of them mentioned it to be their choice mode of payment after UPI. Rewards such as air miles, airport lounges, hotel membership, and travel insurance associated with the use of credit cards were found to be the most sought-after benefit by 65% of the sample.

This research suggests that the increasing adoption of digital investment tools is linked to an increased trust in financial solutions that leverage technology alongside the convenience and accessibility provided by such systems.

As for the future outlook on this issue, Divyesh emphasized the need to maintain the current positive trend by creating an ecosystem that would enable entrepreneurs to successfully navigate all stages of their business lifecycle through digitalization and adequate finance.

Operating in India for over 30 years, DBS Bank has become one of the foremost international banking organizations operating within the Indian financial services sector.