29 July 2025 : The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is soon introducing biometric authentication to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Under this new feature, users will be able to authenticate payments using Face ID or fingerprint, instead of entering a PIN for every transaction.
Currently, this feature is in the review phase, and final implementation will require approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other regulators. It is expected to be showcased at the 2025 Global Fintech Fest.
According to sources, NPCI has been working on this technology for over a year, testing and collecting feedback with UPI ecosystem partners. Face recognition will be prioritized initially, provided the user’s device already supports and has this feature activated.
In the beginning, the system will use the biometric data stored on the user’s phone to generate an encrypted key, which will be sent to the sender’s bank. The transaction will only be completed once the bank verifies and validates this key.
Experts believe this method will be more secure than traditional OTPs and PINs, significantly reducing the risk of fraud. However, there may be transaction limits during the initial rollout of biometric payments. It also remains to be seen whether apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and BHIM will require separate biometric setups.
This move signals a major leap forward in digital payment security and user convenience in India.
Summary:
NPCI plans to enable UPI payments via fingerprint or Face ID authentication on smartphones, phasing out UPI PIN entry for enhanced convenience and security.