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National Payments Corporation of India, or NPCI, has lifted the cap on the number of users WhatsApp Pay can onboard, allowing the payment service to extend Unified Payments Interface (UPI) offerings to its entire user base in India.
Previously, NPCI had allowed WhatsApp Pay to add users only in phases, limiting its overall reach. According to a recent notification, the restriction has now been removed with immediate effect, but WhatsApp Pay is required to comply with all existing guidelines for third-party app providers.
Restricted for 100 million users
The decision marks a pivotal moment for WhatsApp, owned by Meta, which had been restricted to a maximum of 100 million users for its UPI service last year. The limit was initially set to address security and performance concerns as the platform scaled up.
With the new clearance, WhatsApp users can send or receive money within the app, as well as send payment requests and transfer funds to users of other UPI-enabled services, such as PhonePe and Google Pay.
Implementation of 30% market share cap
In addition to removing the onboarding limit for WhatsApp Pay, NPCI has pushed back the implementation of a 30% market share cap for all UPI payment providers.
This postponement, which extends until at least December 2026, gives platforms like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and WhatsApp Pay more time to manage market share without strict regulatory limits. PhonePe, which currently holds more than 47% of India’s UPI market, benefits significantly from this reprieve.
NPCI, an umbrella organization set up in 2008 to operate retail payments and settlement systems in India, has played a vital role in shaping the country’s digital economy.
With a suite of payment products and a focus on innovation, it has made financial transactions more secure, affordable, and accessible to millions of people. The latest move to ease restrictions on WhatsApp Pay underscores NPCI’s broader mission of driving secure, technology-driven payment solutions for India’s rapidly growing digital community.