NPCI is accelerating development of UPI Meta, an e-commerce checkout feature that allows users to save their preferred UPI handle on merchant applications. The feature bypasses the current multi-step process of selecting a UPI app and entering a handle at checkout. Users would proceed directly to PIN or biometric authentication after selecting the purchase option on platforms such as Amazon, Blinkit, and Swiggy.
The acceleration follows NPCI's assessment that tokenized credit cards with biometric authentication now match UPI's transaction speed in online payments. Apple Pay's expected India launch in mid-2026 with contactless NFC card payments has further compressed internal timelines.
At an April 28 meeting, executives from Amazon Pay, Navi, super.money, and Cred argued that default payment saving would disproportionately benefit the two leading apps. PhonePe and Google Pay together process approximately 80% of UPI transaction volume. NPCI targets a public unveil at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai in September 2026.