NPCI Unveils ‘UPI Circle’ for Secure Payment Delegation and Enhanced Control

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has rolled out an innovative feature named ‘UPI Circle’ on its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform. This feature allows primary UPI account holders to securely delegate payment responsibilities to trusted secondary users while retaining overall control. The aim of UPI Circle is to streamline digital transactions by offering enhanced convenience and security, particularly for managing payments for dependents, such as when parents pay for their children or elderly individuals delegate payments to family members.

With the UPI Circle feature, primary users can establish transaction limits for secondary users, striking a balance between accessibility and security. They can authorise up to five secondary users, each of whom can accept delegation from only one primary user. Full delegation enables secondary users to conduct transactions within specified limits without additional approval, while partial delegation requires primary user authentication for each transaction. This new feature is designed to expand the capabilities of UPI, facilitating micro-communities and collaborative financial activities while strengthening protection against fraud and misuse.