Archive · 11 Sep 2026
NPCI Launches New RuPay, UPI And Ticketing Features
NPCI announced new ways to pay for travel, shopping, and tickets.
One system will let people find routes, see fares, pay, and receive digital tickets.
It will also support tickets for some tourist attractions.
A compatible Android phone can work like a transit card through RuPay ON-THE-GO.
People may also tap a physical RuPay card on a phone for some online payments.
RuPay passkeys will let users approve payments with a fingerprint or face scan instead of an OTP.
RuPay credit cards connected to UPI will soon work at some international merchants.
The first international locations are France, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
NPCI announced five digital payment and ticketing features at Global Fintech Fest 2026.
The Unified Ticketing Platform will support QR-based transport and tourist-attraction tickets.
RuPay ON-THE-GO will store transit credentials on compatible NFC-enabled Android phones.
RuPay Tap on Phone enables select card payments of up to ₹5,000 by tapping a physical card on a phone.
Passkeys and cross-border RuPay credit-card payments through UPI will reduce OTP reliance and expand international use.
- Who
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the features, involving RuPay, UPI, Bharat Connect, Chennai Metro Rail Limited, and the Archaeological Survey of India.
- What
- Five features were announced: a Unified Ticketing Platform, RuPay ON-THE-GO Card-on-Device Tokenisation, RuPay Tap on Phone, passkey-based RuPay payments, and international RuPay credit-card payments through UPI.
- When
- The features were announced on Friday, September 11, at Global Fintech Fest 2026; some are described as upcoming or being piloted.
- Where
- The announcements were made at Global Fintech Fest 2026. The ticketing proof of concept is in Chennai, and international payments will initially cover France, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
- Why
- The features are intended to simplify digital ticketing, support offline transit payments, offer alternatives to OTP authentication, and enable RuPay- UPI payments at participating international merchants.
- Announcement event
- Global Fintech Fest 2026
- Ticketing platform
- Unified Ticketing Platform, piloted with Chennai Metro Rail Limited and the Archaeological Survey of India
- Transit phone feature
- RuPay ON-THE-GO tokenises transit credentials on NFC-enabled Android smartphones
- Tap on Phone limit
- Supports applicable online card transactions up to ₹5,000 and requires the card PIN
- Passkey authentication
- Uses supported device biometrics, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, instead of OTPs
- International rollout
- RuPay credit cards linked to UPI will initially work at participating merchants in France, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States
- International authentication
- Users will continue to authenticate payments with a UPI PIN, while the app displays foreign-exchange details