Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS): The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Tuesday removed the unified payments interface (UPI) user onboarding limit for WhatsApp Pay with immediate effect.

With this, WhatsApp Pay can now extend UPI services to its entire user base in India, the NPCI said in a statement.

Previously, the NPCI had permitted WhatsApp Pay to expand its UPI user base in a phased manner, lifting the previous cap of 100 million users.

With this notification, the NPCI is removing the limit restrictions on user onboarding on WhatsApp Pay.

“WhatsApp Pay shall continue to comply with all existing UPI guidelines and circulars applicable to existing third-party app providers (TPAPs),” said the corporation.

According to third-party data, the Meta-owned platform has over 500 million users in India. The NPCI move heralds a significant shift in regulatory policy, which had previously limited WhatsApp Payment’s rollout.

Additionally, the NPCI has deferred a proposed rule to cap any single app’s UPI transaction share at 30 per cent until December 31, 2026

UPI platform processes over 13 billion transactions monthly, with Google Pay and PhonePe controlling more than 85 per cent of the market.

The UPI achieved 15,547 crore transactions worth Rs 223 lakh crore from January to November this year, ‘showcasing its transformative impact on financial transactions’ in India.

Since its launch in 2016, UPI has transformed financial access in India, enabling 300 million individuals and 50 million merchants to perform seamless digital transactions, according to a study by IIM and ISB professors.

The NPCI said it is focused on bringing innovations in the retail payment systems through the use of technology and is relentlessly working to transform India into a digital economy. It is facilitating secure payment solutions with nationwide accessibility at minimal cost in furtherance of India’s aspiration to be a fully digital society.