NPCI removes UPI user onboarding cap for WhatsApp Payments
The move is significant as it allows the platform to offer UPI service to its 500-million-strong user base in India.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has removed the user onboarding limit for WhatsApp Pay, enabling the platform to provide UPI services to its entire user base across India.
In a statement on Tuesday, NPCI confirmed that WhatsApp Pay can now offer UPI services to all users. Previously, WhatsApp Pay's growth was restricted by phased user onboarding limits set by NPCI to address scalability, security, and performance concerns in the sensitive payments ecosystem.
Initially, when WhatsApp Pay launched, the platform could onboard only a fraction of UPI users. Over time, NPCI gradually increased the cap, reaching 100 million users by November 2022. This careful rollout allowed WhatsApp Pay to refine its systems and ensure reliability.
Now, with the onboarding cap completely removed, WhatsApp can expand its services to its vast user base in India. The platform has 500 million users in the country.
This development coincides with NPCI’s decision to extend the deadline for the UPI market cap compliance by an additional two years.
"In view of various factors, the compliance timeline for existing TPAPs (third-party application providers) exceeding the volume cap has been extended until December 31, 2026," stated a circular issued on December 31.
As per NPCI’s directive from early 2021, no single UPI app is permitted to hold more than 30% of the total UPI payments market share.