India introduces face authentication for payments in UPI
📄 Article Content
# India introduces face authentication for payments in UPI
Reserve Bank of India rule changes drive biometric authentication use cases
Oct 8, 2025, 2:58 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
Categories Biometrics News | Financial Services | ID for All
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 Acces