India introduces face authentication for payments in UPI

As of today, individuals in India can use biometrics to approve digital payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a payments network that facilitates around 18 billion digital payment transactions a month.

India’s Ministry of Finance has launched three new digital initiatives related to the UPI: payment authentication with on-device biometrics; Aadhaar-based face authentication in UPI for resetting a UPI PIN; and a new mode for cash withdrawal through Micro ATMs using UPI.

A release explains that on-device authentication for UPI enables customers to opt in to authenticating UPI payments directly through their smartphone’s built-in security options such as fingerprint or face unlock, to make digital payments faster and more secure. Per the release, each transaction is independently verified by the issuing bank using robust cryptographic checks.

The Aadhaar feature offers users an alternative way to set or reset their UPI PIN directly within UPI apps. It aims to make onboarding faster, simpler, and more inclusive for first-time users, senior citizens, and those without easy access to cards.

The product uses UIDAI’s FaceRD App for Aadhaar-based facial verification.

Two distinct factors of authentication required

The Reserve Bank of India recently mandated multi-factor authentication methods beyond the standard numeric PIN, and made banks fully liable if safeguards fail.

“Every domestic digital payment must be verified using at least two distinct factors of authentication, according to the RBI,” says a comment from Razorpay. Aadhaar biometrics stored by the central government and native device biometrics are acceptable as an inherence factor.

Razorpay recently introduced India’s first biometric-ready Access Control Server (ACS) in partnership with Yes Bank, built on device tokenization and advanced passkey standards. Khilan Haria, the company’s chief product officer says Razorpay ACS is “shaping how biometrics will work seamlessly across every card issuer and merchant in the country.”

“This is not just about solving today’s OTP delays or fraud risks, it’s about building the next decade of digital trust, where authentication becomes invisible, intuitive, and growth-focused for businesses, while being effortless and secure for customers.”

Aadhaar could be used to authenticate high-value transactions

The Economic Times reports that the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) may soon allow Aadhaar-based facial authentication for high-value transactions.

The report quotes Abhishek Kumar Singh, deputy director general at UIDAI, who says biometrics is “the only way to know surely who is who.”

“We have the world’s largest biometric database. We advocate very strongly for the use of face authentication as a modality in multi-factor assessment.”

Aadhaar and UIDAI have the numbers to support the position. According to a release, in August 2025 UIDAI recorded 2.21 billion Aadhaar authentication transactions.

Aadhaar face authentication solutions are also seeing consistent growth. In August 2025, at least 186 million face authentication transactions were executed. On September 1, UIDAI observed the highest ever face authentication transactions in a single day at over 15 million.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  digital payments  |  India  |  selfie biometrics  |  Unified Payments Interface - UPI