BHIM App Introduces Biometric Authentication for UPI Transactions up to Rs 5,000
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, March 24 (NationPress) The NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL), a completely owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has unveiled a groundbreaking biometric authentication feature for UPI transactions on the BHIM Payments App.
This enhancement enables users to authorize payments of up to Rs 5,000 using their smartphone’s fingerprint or facial recognition, streamlining the payment process for greater convenience.
With this innovation, users will no longer have to input their UPI PIN for minor transactions, which is anticipated to decrease payment failures often caused by forgotten or wrongly entered PINs, thus enhancing the overall user experience.
The biometric feature can be utilized for everyday transactions, including transferring money to friends and family, scanning merchant QR codes, and executing online payments.
Lalitha Nataraj, Managing Director and CEO of NBSL, emphasized that the app's goal is to make digital payments simple, secure, and accessible for all.
She noted that biometric authentication simplifies routine payments while ensuring robust security, as transactions are directly linked to the user’s fingerprint or facial data.
"By allowing users to validate transactions via their fingerprint or face unlock, we are diminishing the need for PIN entry while keeping payments intimately connected to the user," she remarked.
"This represents another stride towards creating a seamless and reliable digital payments experience for millions of Indians," Nataraj concluded.
This new feature also boosts safety. Since biometric information like fingerprints and facial recognition is securely stored on the user’s device, risks associated with PIN sharing or misuse are significantly reduced.
Nonetheless, for transactions exceeding Rs 5,000, users will still need to enter their UPI PIN, providing an additional layer of security for high-value payments.
Presently, this feature is available on both Android and iOS devices that support fingerprint or facial recognition technology.