Pune, 22nd August 2026: India has made rapid progress in digital payments, with nearly half of the world's digital transactions taking place in the country. Around 240 billion transactions were carried out through UPI in 2025–26, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Pune on Friday.
Scindia said India's low-cost and widely accessible digital payments model has attracted global attention and can serve as an example for other countries.
The telecommunications ministers of BRICS member countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and Egypt, met in Pune to discuss cooperation in digital technologies.
The meeting focused on:
Digital connectivity
Artificial intelligence
6G technology
Cybersecurity
Digital public infrastructure
Digital skills development
The BRICS countries agreed to increase cooperation and exchange knowledge and technology in these areas.
Scindia said India has proposed sharing successful digital public infrastructure models with BRICS countries. The proposal includes joint training programs, technical exchanges and cooperation in telecommunications, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and 6G technology.
India will also support pilot projects in interested countries to demonstrate its digital solutions.
Scindia said India has made significant progress in telecommunications, with 4G services reaching every village and 5G services expanding rapidly across the country.
He said India's digital transformation has been driven in part by its ability to provide digital and telecom services at relatively low cost and on a large scale.
The BRICS meeting also stressed that digital transformation should be inclusive, secure, reliable and sustainable rather than focusing only on speed and technological growth.
The participating countries agreed to strengthen cooperation to promote innovation and improve digital skills among citizens. The Digital BRICS Forum will also be strengthened to support continued collaboration among member countries.
