UPI payment without PIN:
Is NPCI considering face recognition and biometrics for authorising transactions?
Jul 29, 2025
Synopsis
NPCI is reportedly considering enabling UPI payments via face ID or biometrics, potentially eliminating the need for PINs. This move aims to enhance transaction speed, security, and accessibility. While NPCI has not made any official comments on this matter, experts believe biometric authentication will reduce fraud and improve user experience.
Will you soon be able to approve all UPI transactions just by using your face ID and biometrics, without having to input your PIN every time? There are reports that NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India) is considering enabling UPI payments by way of face ID or biometrics, rendering PIN optional for authenticating UPI payments.
ET Wealth Online approached NPCI for comments; however, they refused to comment on this. They are neither confirming nor denying the development. However, as Akash Sinha, CEO and Founder of Cashfree Payments, explains, biometric-enabled UPI is the next big leap in India’s digital payments evolution.
“By removing the dependency on manual PIN entry, it paves the way for faster, more frictionless transactions, dramatically improving conversions in high-speed checkout environments. Just as importantly, it strengthens the compliance backbone of our payment infrastructure, ensuring that every transaction is uniquely tied to the individual, not just the device. This is where the future of payments is headed: a seamless blend of intelligence, identity, and trust,” he further adds.
At present, you have to put in your UPI-PIN, or UPI Personal Identification Number, which is a 4-6 digit passcode, every time you have to authorise any bank transactions.
How will UPI payments change via biometrics?
If implemented, you could soon be able to authorise your UPI transactions using your biometric information, such as fingerprint, eye iris scan, and other distinct physical characteristics.
Experts highlight that this will be a major step in bringing down UPI-related financial frauds. This is because bodily traits are extremely difficult to be stolen, unlike UPI pins, which can be obtained by fraudsters via various means.
Says Rohit Mahajan, Founder and Managing Partner of plutos ONE, "By removing any need to remember a PIN, not only does this redefine convenience, but it also includes millions of individuals, especially the elderly and those from rural backgrounds, who have less digital literacy, into a space of safe, tech-enabled transactions. Biometrics improve security and reduce fraud by tying access to the individual. For that vast population of users, this then makes transacting digitally virtually frictionless, particularly with those who have difficulty recalling a password or navigating a complex interface.
But, as Mahajan adds, to ensure that this change is effectively deployed, there needs to be serious consideration around the user experience with strong safeguards around data privacy, consent, and infrastructure readiness.
According to the RBI’s Payment System Indicators report for June 2025, UPI transaction volume swelled to 18.39 billion, with their total value coming to Rs 24.03 lakh crore. As UPI is steadily gaining a higher market share of payment transactions, this added layer of security is likely to enhance the overall safety of UPI transactions.
[The Economic Times]
