The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced two new features for UPI that could make digital payments faster and customer support easier, UPI Tap & Pay and MyUPI, an AI-powered UPI help platform.
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced the features at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai on Thursday.
The first feature allows users to make UPI payments at compatible point-of-sale (POS) terminals by simply unlocking their NFC-enabled smartphone and tapping it on the terminal.
The second uses NPCI’s Small Language Model, FiMI, to offer users a range of payment-related support, safety and control features.
Under UPI Tap & Pay, users with NFC-enabled smartphones can make payments at NFC-enabled POS terminals by unlocking their phones and tapping them on the machine.
An important part of the feature is that the user’s phone does not need a mobile internet connection to complete the transaction. The payment can instead use the internet connection of the POS terminal.
This is aimed at making UPI payments at physical stores quicker and more seamless.
The feature will work across multiple UPI-linked account types, including RuPay Credit Card on UPI.
For smaller transactions, users will also get a simplified payment experience. UPI payments of up to Rs 5,000 can be made without entering a UPI PIN. For transactions above Rs 5,000, the user will have to enter their UPI PIN on the POS terminal.
The new feature builds on NPCI’s introduction of UPI Biometric Authentication at GFF 2025.
According to the announcement, the combined volume of biometric-authenticated UPI transactions crossed 6.29 billion as of August 31, 2026.
Alongside Tap & Pay, Malhotra also announced MyUPI, or UPI Help 2.0, an AI-powered platform built on NPCI’s Small Language Model, FiMI.
The platform is designed to go beyond conventional customer support by giving users greater visibility and control over their UPI transactions.
MyUPI will provide users with a single view of their UPI transactions and AutoPay mandates across banks and UPI apps.
It will also introduce several features aimed at improving payment safety and resolving complaints.
One of the features is a Safety Switch, which will allow users to request that UPI debit transactions be declined if they suspect their account has been compromised.
Another feature, called UPI Number Delink, will allow users to delink their mobile number for receiving UPI payments.
MyUPI will also provide Payee Context-based Information, giving users additional information about a beneficiary before a payment is made.
The aim is to give users more information before they authorise a transaction, particularly when making payments to beneficiaries they may not be familiar with.
MyUPI will also introduce Automated Chargeback Processing for eligible transactions.
The feature will enable real-time creation of chargebacks and is aimed at reducing complaint resolution time and improving operational efficiency for banks.
Another feature, Transaction Replay, will allow users to recall and repeat past transactions using any UPI app.
The platform will also offer 24×7 multilingual support and self-service options.
The two announcements address different parts of the UPI payment journey.
Tap & Pay is focused on making the payment itself quicker, particularly at physical stores. Users can tap their NFC-enabled phones on compatible POS machines, while transactions up to Rs 5,000 can be completed without entering a UPI PIN.
MyUPI, meanwhile, focuses on what happens before and after a transaction — from getting more information about a payee to controlling suspected unauthorised debits and resolving eligible transaction disputes.
The announcements come as UPI continues to expand beyond basic bank-to-bank payments, with authentication, credit card payments, AutoPay and now AI-powered assistance becoming part of the wider ecosystem.