Google has joined forces with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to introduce Aadhaar-based authentication for UPI activation on Google Pay. This collaboration aims to streamline the user onboarding process and enhance the adoption of digital payments in India. According to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), nearly 100% of adults in the country possess a unique Aadhaar number, making it a valuable resource for authentication purposes.
To utilize this feature, individuals must have their Aadhaar card updated with the phone number linked to their bank account. Google assures that it does not store Aadhaar numbers and only acts as a mediator in sharing the Aadhaar number with the NPCI for validation.
It is worth noting that other prominent UPI payment platforms also support Aadhaar-based onboarding, not just Google Pay. This underscores the industry-wide recognition of the benefits associated with leveraging Aadhaar for seamless and secure user authentication in digital payments.
