WhatsApp Pay Receives NPCI Approval for UPI Services Expansion in India

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced the immediate removal of the user limit for onboarding on WhatsApp Pay. With this decision, WhatsApp Pay is now permitted to provide UPI services to its entire user base across India, as stated by NPCI.

Earlier, NPCI had permitted WhatsApp Pay to grow its UPI user base gradually, capping it at 100 million users. This restriction has now been removed, allowing WhatsApp Pay to expand its services to all users without limitations.

WhatsApp Pay will continue to comply with all existing UPI guidelines and circulars for Third-Party Application Providers (TPAPs), as stated by NPCI. Initially, in 2020, NPCI had imposed a user cap of one million on WhatsApp Pay, which was progressively increased to 100 million by 2022.

The cap has now been completely removed. Initially, these restrictions were implemented to ensure a smooth rollout and prevent strain on the banking infrastructure. With the UPI ecosystem now more stable, NPCI has authorized lifting the cap, enabling WhatsApp Pay to expand its user base freely.

The NPCI, founded by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), acts as the central organization for retail payment and settlement systems in India. It manages and regulates the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) framework.