New Delhi: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Tuesday launched biometric authentication for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, offering users a secure alternative to PIN-based
verification.
Unveiled by Department of Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju M, the on-device biometric authentication allows users to make payments, set or reset UPI PINs, and withdraw cash from ATMs.
The feature is optional, letting users choose their preferred mode of authentication.
NPCI said each transaction will be verified by issuing banks through robust cryptographic checks, ensuring high security and a seamless experience.
The new feature also aims to simplify onboarding for senior citizens and first-time users, enabling Aadhaar-based face authentication instead of debit card or OTP verification.
The initiative follows the Reserve Bank of India’s push for safer second-factor authentication methods amid rising UPI-related fraud.
UPI currently processes about 20 billion transactions monthly, worth over Rs 25 lakh crore.