In a significant push to strengthen its UPI ecosystem, NPCI BHIM is set to onboard 2 more banks this financial year while completing the rollout of biometric authentication for payments within 10 days. Lalitha Nataraj, MD & CEO of NPCI BHIM, said the government-backed app plans to deepen its banking partnerships with 1 public sector bank and 1 private sector bank.
“We aim to onboard at least 2 more banks this financial year, 1 public sector and 1 private sector bank,” she said. Nataraj explained that the strategy goes beyond basic integrations. “We see ourselves as an innovation testbed, and the idea is to work closely with banks to unlock financial products and offer more than just payments. White-labelled deployments reduce their cost of running an app and create mutual gains,” she added. The move builds on BHIM’s existing collaboration with Canara Bank and reflects a sharper focus on embedding the app within the banking system rather than chasing standalone market share.
On the technology front, Nataraj confirmed that biometric authentication for UPI payments is in its final phase. “We’ve started a phased rollout and expect to complete it in about 10 days. It allows payments up to Rs 5,000 using biometric authentication,” she said. The feature is designed to enhance security and simplify user experience.
“Biometric authentication is device-native and harder to compromise compared to PINs. Since this is new, we’re rolling it out gradually to observe user behaviour and edge cases. Prima facie, it appears to be a strong fraud guard,” Nataraj noted. The development follows a similar rollout by PhonePe, signalling a broader industry shift toward more secure and seamless UPI payment experiences.
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