On September 18, 2017, we launched Google Pay in India (then known as Tez). We set out with a mission: make digital payments simple. But this journey would not have been possible without you, the 25 million monthly active Google Pay users and 1.2 million businesses in India, who have responded wholeheartedly and helped us move forward.
From Kanyakumari to Mandvi to Dimapur, you are using Google Pay for your bills, your rent, the chaiwallah, the plumber, and even your bus rides. Or you're simply sending money home or splitting bills with your friends. Google Pay has enabled over 860 million transactions in the last year — safely and securely. And if you used Tez mode, powered by Google's Audio QR technology, you sent money without sharing your number or bank account. Google Pay always has users' privacy in mind, and you will always be in control of your data. We keep you informed about what data we collect, how it's used, and why. And we build powerful data controls into your Google Account, so you can choose the privacy settings that are right for you.
Security is a key part of Google Pay. Google's expertise in security and machine learning backs every transaction, and it's working 24/7 to help detect spam, fraud, prevent hacking, and verify and protect the identity of every user. Your account is also protected by your phone security safeguards such as passcodes or fingerprint IDs, as well as a Google PIN code. And if you ever need help, our customer service team is available all day, every day by phone or chat support.
We owe a big thank you to the banking industry for believing in us, especially our four payment service provider partners, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and the State Bank of India who came on board this journey early on. We made history together by building a first-of-its-kind, multiple payment service providers (MSPs) platform. And of course a huge thank you to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for creating the infrastructure that enabled this. Since the launch of Google Pay, India's monthly UPI transactions have grown 18X to 312M in August— making India one of the world's leading innovators in digital payments.
It's been quite a journey since Prime Minister Modi and IT Minister Shri RS Prasad called on Google to support digital payments and financial inclusion in India and a year since the launch of Tez by the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley. But there is a lot more to be done. Barely a 100 million or so Indians are using digital payments. We have over a billion more Indians to empower. That will take a lot of hard work, deep investment and the best technology and ideas from India and around the world.
We are excited to continue working with the government and industry players to innovate and bring the benefits of a digital India to everyone.
Posted by Caesar Sengupta, Vice President, Payments and Next Billion Users, Google