The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have unveiled groundbreaking new digital payment methods at the Global Fintech Fest 2025 in Mumbai. A standout innovation is the introduction of biometric and wearable glass-based authentication for UPI transactions, designed to make digital payments faster and incredibly convenient. This innovative feature allows users to confirm UPI payments using their smartphone’s fingerprint or face unlock, completely eliminating the need to manually enter a UPI PIN. Users can easily opt-in and set this as their preferred authentication method for enhanced ease and robust security.
Biometric UPI Payments: What You Need to Know
Initially, UPI transactions authenticated biometrically will have a limit of Rs. 5,000, which will be re-evaluated in the future. Utilizing fingerprints or facial recognition already present on a user’s smartphone promises to make UPI payments both simpler and more secure, especially when coupled with robust security protocols.
This new biometric authentication system for UPI payments removes the hassle of entering or remembering PINs, significantly boosting user convenience. This is particularly beneficial for senior citizens and individuals who might be less comfortable with traditional digital systems. PINs can be easily forgotten or even compromised, but biometrics offer a far stronger layer of security, as fingerprints and face scans are much harder to steal or replicate. It also has the potential to drastically reduce transaction failures that often occur due to incorrect or forgotten PINs, leading to a much smoother payment experience.
The NPCI has released official guidelines on how to make UPI payments using biometric authentication. We’ve compiled an easy-to-follow guide to help you start paying without needing your PIN, as soon as this biometric authentication support rolls out to your UPI app.
Is Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments Truly Safe?
However, it’s essential to consider some potential drawbacks of using fingerprint or face authentication for UPI payments. While it undeniably offers speed and convenience, it also carries a higher risk of accidental transactions. Unlike PIN entry, where users have a chance to cancel or correct mistakes before finalizing, biometric authentication can process payments almost instantly once verified. Furthermore, while you can easily reset a UPI PIN, your unique biometrics are, by their nature, permanent.
For secure, PIN-less biometric UPI payments, user consent and thorough security checks are absolutely crucial. Whenever a UPI app completes a new device login or account binding, it must explicitly request fresh consent before enabling biometric transactions. If a user changes or resets their UPI PIN, the associated bank must temporarily disable biometric authentication for that account until the user actively reactivates it.
To ensure ongoing security, UPI apps are required to update their encryption keys at least once annually. Additionally, if a user does not perform any biometric transactions for a continuous period of 90 days, the feature will automatically become inactive and will need re-confirmation from the user to be re-enabled.
How to Use Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments (Step-by-Step)
- Open your UPI app and initiate a new payment.
- Scan the receiver’s QR code or select the contact or merchant you wish to pay.
- Enter the desired payment amount and select the bank account you intend to use for the transaction.
- When prompted to enter your UPI PIN, choose the Use Biometric option displayed on the screen.
- Authenticate the transaction using your fingerprint or face unlock by placing your finger on the sensor or looking directly at the camera.
- Await a confirmation message indicating that the payment was successfully processed automatically, without the need for a PIN.