Lakhs of customers of the State Bank of India (SBI) faced significant inconvenience on Monday after the bank’s online payment network suffered a technical glitch. The disruption affected multiple digital payment services, including UPI, YONO, NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS, leaving users unable to complete transactions at hospitals, pharmacies, restaurants, and grocery stores.
Customer Complaints Flood Social Media
Within minutes of the outage, SBI’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle was inundated with complaints from frustrated customers. Many reported being unable to make essential payments, leading to hardships in critical situations.
Abhishek Khanna, a resident of Ludhiana, shared his ordeal: he was trying to discharge his father from a hospital and needed to make a payment of Rs 11,000 but was unable to do so because the network was down. Similarly, Gaurav Gupta, also from Ludhiana, said he could not complete a payment while standing at a medicine counter. People visiting restaurants, ordering food through delivery apps, and making routine purchases at grocery stores also reported difficulties as the outage disrupted digital transactions.
Official Statement from SBI
In a post on X, SBI stated: “Due to a technical issue, our YONO, YONO Lite, RTGS, NEFT, UPI, INB and IMPS services are impacted. The services will be available by 18:30 hrs on 08.06.2026 (IST). Meanwhile, customers are advised to use our UPI Lite and ATM services.” The bank added, “We regret the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.”
The bank later updated the restoration time to 19:00 hrs. Despite the advisory, many customers found UPI Lite and ATM services insufficient for their needs, especially for larger transactions or payments that required immediate digital transfer.
Impact on Daily Life
The glitch highlighted the heavy reliance of Indian consumers on digital payment systems. With UPI being the most popular mode of transaction for small and medium payments, the outage caused chaos in daily routines. From paying bills to buying groceries, millions of transactions were stalled. Small businesses, which increasingly depend on digital payments, also faced losses as customers could not complete purchases.
This incident is not an isolated one; SBI has faced similar technical issues in the past, raising questions about the robustness of its digital infrastructure. As the country’s largest bank, SBI’s systems are critical for the smooth functioning of the economy. Customers have urged the bank to invest in more reliable technology to prevent such disruptions in the future.
Recommendations for Customers
In the wake of the outage, experts recommend that customers keep multiple payment options handy, such as cash, debit cards, or alternative UPI apps from other banks. For essential payments, using ATMs or visiting bank branches can be a fallback. SBI has assured that its technical team is working to resolve the issue and restore services at the earliest.
