NEW DELHI, Oct 7:  India is set to integrate biometric authentication into its national payments network, the United Payments Interface (UPI), beginning October 8, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Users will soon be able to approve UPI payments using facial recognition and fingerprint authentication, leveraging biometric data stored within the government’s unique identification system, Aadhaar.

This development follows recent guidelines from the Reserve Bank of India permitting alternative authentication methods beyond the traditional PIN-based system currently in use.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the operator of UPI, is reportedly planning to showcase the new biometric authentication feature at the ongoing Global Fintech Festival in Mumbai this week. 

Since its 2016 launch, UPI has seen explosive growth, processing over 600 million transactions daily as of July 2025, rivaling major global payment networks like Visa. The system has been instrumental in accelerating India’s shift towards digital payments by harnessing the widespread use of mobile phones.

Globally, biometric authentication is gaining traction. Sources reported in June that 32% of shoppers in the United Arab Emirates used biometric methods such as fingerprint or facial recognition for their latest online transaction — nearly double the global average of 18.5%. This trend highlights growing consumer demand for convenient yet secure payment verification methods.

In the credit union sector, biometrics are increasingly adopted, with 64% of credit unions planning to implement facial recognition and similar technologies to enhance security.