India’s National Payments Corporation of India unveils new Tap & Pay and AI-driven support tools at Global Fintech Fest, signalling a move towards faster, more accessible digital transactions within the world’s largest payments network.
India’s payments network is moving towards a more seamless, less app-heavy future. At Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, the National Payments Corporation of India unveiled two additions to the UPI ecosystem: Tap & Pay, a contactless payment option, and an AI-assisted support tool being positioned as My UPI. Together, they are meant to cut the number of steps involved in paying and to make basic support easier for users to access.
Tap & Pay allows a customer with an NFC-enabled phone to make a payment by bringing the device close to a compatible merchant terminal, smart tag or smart QR setup, rather than opening a camera and scanning a code. According to NPCI and reports from Indian business media, the feature supports UPI payments and RuPay credit cards on UPI, with PIN-free transactions of up to ₹5,000 when online. In offline mode, UPI Lite X transactions are capped at ₹500 each, with a ₹2,000 wallet limit.
The offline angle matters most in places where connectivity is patchy or slow, such as underground stations, toll points, busy events and remote shops. Google Pay’s support pages show that Tap & Pay is already being rolled out through supported apps on NFC-capable Android phones, underlining that the feature will depend on both device compatibility and merchant infrastructure.
NPCI is also testing or introducing an AI-powered support layer called UPI HELP, described as a conversational assistant for payment queries. The system is intended to help users check transactions, understand mandates and navigate common problems without having to move between multiple screens or wait for basic customer support. ETBFSI reported that the assistant is built on NPCI’s small language model, FiMI, while NPCI has said the goal is to offer a simpler, more intuitive support channel for the growing volume of UPI traffic.
The changes also reflect how central UPI has become to India’s payments landscape. NPCI says the system processes about 20 billion transactions a month, giving the platform a scale that few rivals can match. That reach matters because Tap & Pay is not just competing with cards and cash for small purchases; it is also being positioned as a faster alternative inside an already dominant network. If adoption broadens, the bigger winners may be ordinary users, small merchants and banks looking to reduce friction at the point of payment.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
