National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has lifted the limit from onboarding UPI users for the third-party app provider WhatsApp Pay with immediate effect. With this development, WhatsApp Pay can now extend UPI services to its entire user base in India, NPCI said in a statement. Previously, NPCI had permitted WhatsApp Pay to expand its UPI user base in a phased manner, it added. There was a cap of 100 million users which has been lifted by NPCI. With this notification, it said, NPCI is removing the limit restrictions on user onboarding on WhatsApp Pay. WhatsApp Pay will continue to comply with all existing UPI guidelines and circulars applicable to existing Third-Party Application Providers (TPAPs), it said. NPCI, an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks' Association, is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India (IBA). NPCI governs the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) framework in India.
The mandate, which was to take effect from the end of 2024, will now kick in at the end of December 2026
Currently, UPI payments are interoperable such that a user can use any TPAP to transfer funds
The Reserve Bank on Friday allowed prepaid payment instruments holders to make and receive UPI payments through third-party mobile applications. It has been decided to enable Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments from/to full-KYC prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) through third-party UPI applications, the central bank said in circular. "A PPI issuer shall enable holders of only its full-KYC PPIs to make UPI payments by linking its customer PPIs to its UPI handle. UPI transactions from PPI on the issuer's application shall be authenticated using the customer's existing PPI credentials," it said. Such a transaction will, thus, be pre-approved before it reaches the UPI system. A PPI issuer, in its capacity as a payment system providers, should not on-board customers of any bank or any other PPI issuer, the RBI said. The RBI's decision is aimed at providing more flexibility to holders of PPIs such as gift cards, metro rail cards, and digital wallets, among others. Currently, UPI
UPI transactions at retail stores have increased by 33 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas this year, reflecting the growing adoption of digital payments, says a report. Moreover, insurance policy purchases and premium collections saw a 127 per cent increase in transaction volume and a 96 per cent growth in new customer adoption during the year, the report by branchless banking and digital network PayNearby said. "The data highlights the role digital retail stores play in overcoming the challenges of insurance penetration across Bharat," it stated. The report is based on an analysis of real transaction data derived from over 10,00,000 small retailers (kirana stores, mobile recharge stores etc) offering financial and digital services spread across India in rural and semi-urban regions. The findings compare business data from January to November 2024 with the same period in 2023. The report, Retail-O-Nomics, stated that there has been an impressive 297 per cent volume rise across
In 2024, NPCI issued 20 third party application approvals. This was much higher than three and four issuances in 2022 and 2023 respectively
Yet UPI is the most preferred mode of financial transactions in such regions
BharatPe Shield covers risks such as computer fraud, phishg attacks, and unauthorised transactions caused by phone loss
The Reserve Bank on Wednesday increased the UPI Lite wallet limit to Rs 5,000 and per-transaction limit to Rs 1,000 in order to encourage wider adoption of the popular instant payment system through mobile phones. UPI Lite transactions are offline to the extent that Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) is not required, and transaction alerts are not sent in real time. Currently, the upper limit of an offline payment transaction is Rs 500 and the total limit for offline transactions on a payment instrument is Rs 2,000 at any point in time. The Reserve Bank on Wednesday amended the 'offline framework' issued in January 2022 with an aim at facilitating small value digital payments in offline mode. "...the enhanced limits for UPI Lite shall be Rs 1,000 per transaction, with Rs 5,000 being the total limit at any point in time," said a Reserve Bank circular. An announcement in this regard was made by the central bank in October this year. An offline payment means a transaction whi
In October, UPI recorded 16.58 billion transactions worth Rs 23.5 trillion-the highest since the digital payment system became operational in April 2016
Fraudsters also place fake QR codes over legitimate ones-on parking meters, donation boxes, etc. When users scan them, the payment goes to fraudsters' accounts
Faced with a jump in costs and transaction failures, bank agents are demanding an upward revision of per-transaction charges to 1 per cent or Rs 21, whichever is lower
Over 600,000 incidents of fraud have been reported in the ongoing financial year till September
This change boosts the utility of UPI 123Pay, enabling users to conduct higher-value digital transactions without needing internet access, thereby promoting greater financial inclusion across India.
UPI 123Pay facilitates digital payments on feature phones, enabling users to access UPI services without an internet connection. It supports four payment methods
Paytm brings UPI payments for Indian travellers to UAE, France, Singapore, and more
Bima Stack makes purchasing insurance simpler, speeds up claims and strengthens access to products. It gives people control over their data
This is the industry's first-ever introduction of UPI for elders, offering a simple user interface, enhanced security, and cyber fraud awareness
Foreign firms investing in Uttar Pradesh by bringing in equity as well as loans will now be eligible to avail benefits under the state government's incentive policy. A decision in this regard was taken by the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Monday. The incentive policy has been rechristened as 'Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign Capital Investment and Fortune Global 500 and Fortune India 500 Investment Promotion Policy 2023'. Earlier, incentives under the policy were available to only equity investments. "Through this amendment, the Yogi government has given big relief to foreign investors. Through this, now foreign companies will also be able to invest in the state which brings in investment through equity as well as loan or any other source. With this decision of Yogi government, there is a possibility of increase in foreign investment in the state," an official statement said. Briefing about these decisions, UP Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said that
Demand from non-metro consumers, coupled with increased interest in luxury brands, drove festive season sales