WhatsApp Pay to Offer UPI Services To All Users, NPCI Gives Permission

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services will be available to all users of the popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Tuesday removed the limit on adding UPI users on WhatsApp Pay. With this, all the users of WhatsApp in the country will be able to get these payment services.

Earlier, NPCI had allowed WhatsApp Pay to increase the number of users connected to its UPI in a phased manner. There was a limit of 10 crore users for WhatsApp. This limit has been removed by NPCI. The notification issued in this regard states, “The limit on adding users for WhatsApp Pay has been removed. The existing UPI guidelines and circulars applicable for TPAP will continue to be followed by WhatsApp Pay.” Along with this, NPCI has extended the deadline for implementing the volume limit related to UPI by two years.

In July this year, NPCI launched UPI One World wallet service for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and international travelers visiting the country. This will allow those travelers who do not have an Indian bank account to access UPI and make payments. NPCI has started this service in collaboration with IDFC First Bank and Transcorp International Limited under the guidance of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). NPCI had said that travelers visiting the country with UPI One World Wallet will be able to make digital payments to merchants in a secure manner. In this, foreign travelers and NRIs will have to download a prepaid payment instrument – ​​UPI app. With this, they will be able to make payments by scanning the QR code of the merchants using their smartphone’s camera.

This service can be used by merchants and hotels as well as for online shopping and travel booking. UPI is being expanded rapidly abroad also. Recently this QR based service was launched in United Arab Emirates (UAE). For this, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) had entered into an agreement with Network International.