There’re few significant changes in how you use UPI in 2026.
1. Use your Biometric for payments instead of pin
For the transactions up to Rs.5000 now you can setup biometric authentication for instant payments to the vendors and online transactions instead of using those pin numbers for verification of the transaction.
You can use your thumb for the payments.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Transaction Limit | Up to ₹5,000 per transaction — use thumb (no PIN needed) |
| Above ₹5,000 | Still requires traditional UPI PIN (for higher security) |
| How it works | On-device only — your fingerprint data never leaves your phone. The app uses your phone’s secure sensor (Trusted Execution Environment). |
| Apps supporting it | PhonePe, Paytm, Google Pay, BHIM, and most major UPI apps (Android + iOS) |
| 2FA Integration (April 2026 rule) | Biometric counts as one strong factor. Many transactions now use Biometric + Device Binding or Biometric + UPI PIN for full 2FA compliance. |
What are the advantages of this feature?
- Your transaction becomes a lot faster. Just touch of your thumb, no more typing and more pressing of buttons.
- It’s more secure. Nobody gets to see your pin. For e.g. when you pay with pin, your friends or relatives can peek into it and can see the numbers and on your absence, the pin can be used for unnecessary transactions or theft.
- Reduces the fraud, hacking (keyloggers tools).
- Works even if you forgot your pin. (Yes, this happens to all of us all the time if we have more than 2 or 3 bank accounts linked to UPI.
2. 1 hour cooling off period
It’s a proposed rule, not yet implemented.
It’s like whenever you send someone over your phone (not a retailer or online transactions) but to strangers, and the amount is more than Rs.10,000the payment gets delayed for 1 hour.
If you realize soon after the payment that it’s a fraud, then you can immediately cancel the transaction.
RBI will bring some cancel mechanism like some buttons or report option to revert the transaction and refund your amount to your bank account immediately.
Small payments below Rs.10.000 will remain instant.
It’s a big step to prevent phone call, digital arrest scams in India.
3. Protection rule for elders for payments above Rs.50,000
For senior citizens, aged above 70+ years, who are the most vulnerable people and less digital savvy, RBI is proposing an approval system, where for transactions above Rs.50,000, a trusted person whether their family members, trusted relatives, friends, must approve the payment before the payment happens.
There’s also a proposal for 24 hour delay for very large amount transfers.
also, for very high value transactions there’s a proposal to introduce strong two factor authentications. For e.g. introducing PIN along with 2 factor auth like biometric or face verification.
How to setup the “Trusted Person?”
In the UPI app, profile settings – security settings – setup Trusted Contact/Nominee details.
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