NPCI launches tap-to-pay, unified UPI services window
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Thursday launched new features on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), including a tap-to-pay facility and a single window to track transactions and access UPI-related services.
The features were launched by Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra at the Global Fintech Fest 2026, in the presence of Ajay Kumar Choudhary, non-executive chairman and independent director, NPCI, along with senior bankers and fintech founders.
The ‘Tap & Pay’ feature allows users to make UPI payments at point-of-sale terminals by unlocking their phones and tapping them on compatible devices, without opening a UPI app. It supports UPI payments, RuPay credit cards on UPI and offline transactions without mobile network connectivity.
The feature uses near-field communication technology, allowing transactions through the POS terminal’s internet connection. Users can make UPI PIN-less transactions of up to ₹5,000, after which a PIN is required, NPCI said.
This is the second major UPI payment feature introduced after biometric authentication was launched at the fintech event in 2025. Since its launch, biometric-authenticated UPI transactions have surpassed 6.29 billion as of 31 August 2026, NPCI said, reflecting growing consumer preference for faster and seamless payment experiences.
My UPI
NPCI also launched ‘My UPI’, an AI-powered customer support platform built on Finance Model for India (FiMI), a small language model.
It provides access to UPI transactions and autopay mandates across banks and UPI apps through a single window.
The platform also includes a ‘safety switch’ to decline UPI debit transactions in case of suspected fraud, as well as options to delink a mobile number from receiving UPI payments, view information when paying a merchant and repeat transactions to trusted payees.
It will also support automated processing of real-time chargebacks and offer 24×7 multilingual support, NPCI said.
Malhotra, along with Securities and Exchange Board of India chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey, also introduced tokenization of corporate bonds through the launch of the Demat 2.0 platform.
REC, L&T and IIFL Finance have issued tokenized corporate bonds under the pilot in recent days. The initiative is being led by depositories CDSL and NSDL, with support from stock exchanges BSE, MSEI and NSE, along with banks, issuers, investors, NPCI and regulators.
