For the India’s digital payments ecosystem, Amazon Pay has rolled out biometric authentication for UPI transactions. With this feature, eligible users can now approve UPI payments using fingerprint or facial recognition, eliminating the need to enter a UPI PIN for smaller transactions. The move reflects the growing emphasis on making UPI payments more seamless, secure, and aligned with everyday smartphone usage, especially as digital transactions continue to scale rapidly across India.
About Amazon Pay’s Biometric UPI Feature
- Under the new feature, Amazon Pay allows Android users to authenticate certain UPI transactions using biometric identifiers, such as fingerprint scans or facial recognition.
- This replaces the traditional UPI PIN based approval process for eligible payments.
- The biometric authentication option applies to transactions up to INR 5,000, ensuring a balance between user convenience and security safeguards.
- For higher value transactions, the standard PIN-based verification continues to apply.
Key Changes for UPI Users
- The most visible change for users is the removal of PIN friction for smaller-value UPI payments.
- Instead of manually entering a PIN for every transaction, users can now complete payments with a quick biometric scan.
- According to Amazon Pay, early adoption indicators are strong, with over 90 per cent of users opting for biometric authentication for eligible peer-to-peer UPI transactions.
- This suggests a high level of trust and comfort among users with biometric-based payment approvals.
Security and Privacy Considerations
- Amazon Pay confirmed that biometric authentication relies on the secure biometric framework of the smartphone.
- Sensitive biometric data such as fingerprints or facial scans remain stored on the user device and are not shared externally.
- The feature is designed to complement existing UPI security protocols, ensuring that payment data, bank details, and biometric information remain protected.
Amazon Pay’s Position in the UPI Ecosystem
- With this launch, Amazon Pay becomes one of the first payment service providers (PSPs) in India to enable biometric-based UPI authentication.
- The move places Amazon Pay alongside broader industry efforts to improve ease of use, trust, and innovation in digital payments.
- The rollout also intensifies competition among UPI apps, encouraging others to explore password-less and biometric-driven payment solutions.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon Pay introduced biometric authentication for UPI payments.
- Available for Android users.
- Payments up to INR 5,000 can be approved using fingerprint or facial recognition.
- Eliminates the need for UPI PIN for eligible transactions.
- Over 90% users preferred biometric authentication in early adoption.
Question
Q. What is the maximum transaction value for which biometric authentication can be used in Amazon Pay UPI?
(A) ₹1,000
(B) ₹2,500
(C) ₹5,000
(D) ₹10,000