Google Pay has recently partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to introduce a new feature that allows users to register for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) using their Aadhaar credentials. This streamlined Aadhaar-based onboarding process aims to enhance digital payment accessibility for a larger number of users in India as UPI continues to expand its reach.
To utilize the Aadhaar-based UPI onboarding feature, users need to ensure that their phone number registered with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) matches their bank records. Additionally, their bank account must be linked with Aadhaar. These prerequisites must be fulfilled in order to proceed with the onboarding process.
The steps to onboard via Aadhaar on Google Pay are as follows:
1. Open the Google Pay app and choose between Debit card or Aadhaar-based UPI onboarding. Opting for Aadhaar will prompt users to enter the first six digits of their Aadhaar number to initiate the process.
2. Complete the authentication step by entering the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) received from UIDAI and the respective bank.
3. The bank in question will then finalize the onboarding process, enabling users to set their UPI PIN.
To ensure security and privacy, when users enter the first six digits of their Aadhaar number, this information is securely sent to UIDAI via NPCI for validation. Google Pay acts as a facilitator in sharing the Aadhaar number with NPCI solely for validation purposes and does not retain the Aadhaar number itself.
Upon completing the onboarding process, customers can fully utilize the Google Pay app for conducting transactions and checking balances.
Currently, this feature is available for customers of supported banks, and it is anticipated that more banks will join the platform in the future.
Availability
This feature is currently available for customers of supported banks, and more banks are expected to join soon.
Commenting on the announcement, Sharath Bulusu, Director of Product Management from Google, said:
We’re excited to introduce UPI activation with Aadhaar-based OTP authentication on Google Pay, making it easier and more convenient for our users. This feature aligns with the government’s aim to promote financial inclusion and will enhance our efforts to encourage digital payments in India.
We’re encouraged by the growing acceptance of digital payments in the country, and this feature will contribute to the continued growth of the UPI ecosystem.