ROLE OF UPI IN ENHANCING FINANCIAL ACCESS AMONG WOMEN: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF WOMEN IN JHANSI DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/JISSI.v2.i2.2026.92Keywords:
UPI, Financial Access, Women, Digital Payments, Jhansi DistrictAbstract
Purpose: The purpose of current study is to examine the role of UPI in enhancing financial access among women before and after UPI adoption and examines the role of UPI in digital investment activities, with special reference to Jhansi District, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Methodology The current study employs a descriptive and analytical design. The data were collected through a questionnaire by using convenience sampling. A total of 232 women respondents participated in the current study. Financial access was measured using a 5-point scale. The data were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and paired samples t-test.
Findings: The findings of the current study revealed that there was an increase in the level of financial access after the launch of the UPI as a mode of digital transaction. 176 respondents who had accessed their bank accounts prior to the launch of UPI, the mean financial access recorded was 2.854 whereas the mean financial access recorded right after the UPI launch was 4.001 which was found to be statistically significant at p<0.05. Similarly, the current study also found that out the 56 respondents who had no access to their bank accounts before UPI, they all recorded positive levels of financial access after UPI. Further, 90.5% of respondents reported that UPI had influenced their decision to start investing.
Originality/Value: The current study provides district-level primary data regarding women’s financial access before and after UPI as well as UPI’s role in supporting wider participation in digital financial services and investment activities.
References
Abbas, S., and Singh, A. K. (2016). Use of Mobile Technology and Media Among Women in Uttar Pradesh’s Backward Districts. Proceedings of the Arts and Humanities Conference, Venice, 178–201. https://doi.org/10.20472/AHC.2016.001.018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20472/AHC.2016.001.018
Agarwal, P., Ansari, M. S., and Yadav, S. (2019). A Study on Assessing the Status of Financial Literacy Among Working Women in Different Sectors: A Study of Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 6(4), 921–925.
Balasundaram, E. A., Navalgund, N. P. A., and Hanji, S. (2025). The Impact of Digital Public Infrastructure on Financial Inclusion and Economic Growth in Rural India: Evidence from the UPI Revolution. Indian Growth and Development Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/IGDR-12-2024-0213 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IGDR-12-2024-0213
Bhuyan, B., Kalita, M., Meenakshi, N., Mishra, S., Channu, V., and Baruah, S. (2025). Awareness and Adoption of UPI Facilities Among Working Class Women in an Academic Institution: A Study with Special Reference to Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, India. Archives of Current Research International. https://doi.org/10.9734/acri/2025/v25i61273 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/acri/2025/v25i61273
Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. (n.d.). Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana: Scheme Details.
Kannur, B. S. (2026). Mobile Banking UPI and Digital Wallets for Women Empowerment: An Indian Perspective. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.56975/jetir.v13i2.576375 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56975/jetir.v13i2.576375
Klapper, L., Singer, D., and Ansar, S. (2021). The Global Findex Database 2021: India Country Brief. World Bank.
Mallick, G., Singla, S., Mallick, S. K., Sahu, N., Mishra, M., and Varun, A. (2026). Empowering Urban Women Street Vendors Through the Impact of Digital Payments: An Empirical Investigation in the Megacity of Delhi. Economies. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies14040119 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies14040119
National Payments Corporation of India. (2024). Sustainability Report FY 2023–24.
National Payments Corporation of India. (n.d.). Unified Payments Interface (UPI): About UPI.
National Strategy for Financial Inclusion. (2019). National Strategy for Financial Inclusion.
Purohit, D. D., Sharma, P. T., and Tripathi, L. K. (2024). Unlocking Fintech Potential: The Role of Digital Financial Literacy in Adoption of UPI, Mobile Wallets, and Digital Banking Among Women. Lex Localis – Journal of Local Self-Government. https://doi.org/10.52152/q9tptk17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52152/q9tptk17
Rastogi, S., Panse, C., Sharma, A., and Bhimavarapu, V. (2021). Unified Payment Interface (UPI): A Digital Innovation and Its Impact on Financial Inclusion and Economic Development. Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujaf.2021.090326 DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/ujaf.2021.090326
Reserve Bank of India. (2024). Annual Report 2023–24: Chapter III—Digitalisation and Payment Revolution in India.
Thakkar, J., and Thakkar, P. (2023). Digital Payments Revolution: A Study of Awareness, Acceptance, and Usage of Unified Payments Interface Technology Among Selected Women in India. 2022 OPJU International Technology Conference on Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development (OTCON), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/OTCON56053.2023.10114004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/OTCON56053.2023.10114004
Vanlalthazuala, C., and Mahasamudram, G. (2025). Cashless Culture in Zawlnuam Town: Assessing the use of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) Applications Among Youth. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.55750 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.55750
Yadav, J., Aijaz, A., and S. (2026). Digital Payment Adoption and Financial Inclusion in Emerging Economies to Rural Women. Scriptora International Journal of Research and Innovation (SIJRI), 2(SI1). https://doi.org/10.65579/sijri.2026.v2si1.07 DOI: https://doi.org/10.65579/sijri.2026.v2si1.07
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Himani, Dr. Vivek Kumar (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
