Before and After: The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Revolution

In a world driven by bytes and bandwidth, the emergence of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) marks a seismic shift in how governments, businesses, and citizens interact. DPI is no longer a buzzword, it’s a backbone. It’s the silent system powering payments, identity, and data exchange at a national scale.

Before DPI

Report from DT Next shows that how India has changed over years after the implementation of DIgital Public Infrastructure

Aadhaar Milestone: The Aadhaar program generated 138.04 crore (1.3804 billion) unique IDs, reinforcing its status as the world’s largest digital identity initiative

RBI Digital Payments Index: The Reserve Bank of India’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) rose to 445.5 at the end of March 2024, up from 418.77 in September 2023 and 395.57 in March 2023, indicating a 12.6% year-on-year increase in digital payments.

Before 2020: How the process get started

Aadhaar Implementation: Initiated in 2009, Aadhaar provided over a billion Indians with unique digital identities, facilitating access to various services.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI): Launched in 2016, UPI revolutionized digital payments by enabling real-time money transfers, with transaction volumes reaching 12.5 billion in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): Introduced in 2014, this financial inclusion program led to the opening of millions of bank accounts, increasing account ownership from 35% in 2011 to 78% by 2021.

Fragmented Systems, Frustrated Users

Before DPI, digital services were often siloed, slow, and scattered. Citizens had to juggle multiple logins, portals, and paperwork. Public systems lacked integration—health records didn’t talk to identity systems, and tax platforms couldn’t verify bank accounts instantly.

Financial Exclusion Was the Norm

A significant population, especially in developing countries, remained unbanked and excluded from formal financial systems. Even where digital banking existed, the absence of real-time, interoperable payment networks meant slow and costly transactions.

Identity Verification Was a Bottleneck

Applying for a service, subsidy, or SIM card involved physical documents, long queues, and manual KYC. Duplication, fraud, and inefficiency ruled the day.

Data Silos Blocked Progress

Public services ran on isolated data systems, leading to repeated submissions, poor coordination, and policy decisions based on outdated or incomplete data.

The Game-Changer: A Patchwork of Progress

DPI is the digital backbone of governance and commerce. Think of it as the tech equivalent of roads and electricity—but for the digital economy. DPI includes three foundational layers:

Digital Identity (like Aadhaar in India)
Digital Payments (like UPI)
Data Exchange Systems (like India’s DigiLocker or Estonia’s X-Road)

Together, these elements power interoperable, scalable, and inclusive ecosystems for service delivery.

After DPI: The Digital Leap

Report from The Economic Times show that by 2023-2024, UPI transaction volumes surged to 131 billion, accounting for 80% of all digital payment volumes, with nearly 14 billion transactions recorded in June 2024 alone.

In February 2025, Meta announced Project Waterworth, aiming to build a 50,000 km subsea cable connecting the US, India, South Africa, and Brazil, enhancing global digital connectivity. It will help accelerate this progress and support the country’s ambitious plans for its digital economy.

From Exclusion to Inclusion

Post-DPI, financial services are no longer a luxury. In India, for example, UPI (Unified Payments Interface) processes over 10 billion transactions a month (as of early 2025), enabling everything from street vendors to government disbursements.

Governments now deposit subsidies directly into verified accounts in real-time, reducing leakages and fraud.

One ID to Rule Them All

Digital identity platforms allow citizens to authenticate instantly and securely across services. No more paperwork, no more duplication. Just a fingerprint or an OTP.

Aadhaar in India, Estonia’s e-ID, and Singapore’s Singpass are proof of how digital ID fosters trust and accessibility in public and private transactions.

Payments at the Speed of Thought

Before DPI, cross-border and domestic payments took days. Now, countries with robust DPI process peer-to-peer and business payments in seconds, 24/7. And it’s not just domestic, cross-border DPI integration (as seen in India-Singapore UPI-PayNow linkage) is unlocking global interoperability.

Data That Works for People

With consent-based data exchange frameworks like India’s Account Aggregator and Estonia’s X-Road, DPI is enabling secure, privacy-preserving data sharing. Individuals control who accesses their data and for what purpose, enabling personalized services, from credit scoring to telemedicine.

AI + DPI = Smart Governance

With DPI, data becomes usable and actionable. Governments are now applying AI and analytics on real-time citizen data to make faster, evidence-based decisions. Think dynamic welfare schemes, disaster alerts, and predictive urban planning.

Current Trends Powering the DPI Ecosystem

Global DPI Collaborations

The G20 2023 declaration recognized DPI as a global public good. Building on this momentum, the “50 in 5″ campaign launched in 2024 aims to commit 50 new countries to deploy DPI within the next five years, supported by organizations like the Gates Foundation and UNDP.

Rise of Open-Source Infrastructures

Open source is reducing the cost and complexity of deploying DPI. MOSIP, Beckn Protocol (for open commerce), and Mojaloop (for payments) are enabling customized, scalable solutions across regions.

DPI and Climate Tech

DPI is intersecting with green initiatives, enabling digital tracking of carbon credits, smart energy usage, and public transparency in climate action.

Web3 Meets DPI

Emerging use cases see blockchain-based identity and decentralized finance (DeFi) interfacing with DPI to ensure verifiability, traceability, and user control—without compromising scalability.

DPI for Healthcare and Education

In the post-pandemic world, DPI is driving e-health records, teleconsultation, and digital learning platforms with authenticated access and secure data flows, bridging access gaps in underserved areas.

Real-World Impact: A Snapshot

Aadhaar Integration: As of December 2024, over 85.45 crore (854.5 million) Aadhaar numbers have been linked to bank accounts, facilitating efficient Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT)
Direct Benefit Transfers: Since its inception, the DBT system has transferred approximately ₹40.81 lakh crore (₹40.81 trillion) to beneficiaries, resulting in estimated savings of ₹3.5 lakh crore by reducing inefficiencies and leakages

Challenges Still Ahead

While DPI is transforming lives, it isn’t without hurdles:

Digital Literacy Gaps
Cybersecurity Threats
Data Privacy Concerns
Policy & Infrastructure Gaps in LMICs (Low and Middle-Income Countries)

The journey from ‘Digital First’ to ‘Digital for All’ requires ethical frameworks, inclusive design, and robust governance.

The DPI Future: A Platform for Innovation

The next wave? Composable DPIs that can plug into each other across countries. Imagine a future where your health ID in Kenya gets you instant access to healthcare in Dubai or your verified credentials in India unlock job opportunities in Canada. DPI is the foundation for global digital mobility.

Conclusion: DPI is the New Electricity

Just as electricity powered the industrial era, DPI is powering the digital era. It’s transforming governance, empowering people, and enabling equitable innovation. Countries that invest in DPI today are not just going digital, they are future-proofing their societies for the challenges of tomorrow.

In a world chasing smart cities, inclusive economies, and resilient systems, DPI is no longer optional. It is the infrastructure of trust.