WhatsApp Pay, powered by UPI, is now accessible to all users in India

WhatsApp Pay, the UPI-powered payment service offered by Meta, is now available to all users in India. Previously, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) had imposed a cap on the number of users WhatsApp Pay could onboard, allowing a phased expansion to address security and performance concerns. This restriction limited WhatsApp Pay to 100 million users in 2022.

However, NPCI has now removed this cap, enabling WhatsApp Pay to offer its services to its entire Indian user base. In a press statement, NPCI confirmed, “With this development, WhatsApp Pay can now extend UPI services to all its users in India.”

WhatsApp Pay allows users to send and receive money directly within the app, facilitating seamless transactions with other WhatsApp users and UPI payment apps like PhonePe and GPay.

In addition, NPCI has postponed the implementation of the 30% market share cap for UPI service providers by two years, delaying its enforcement until at least December 2026. This is a significant relief for players like PhonePe, which currently holds over 47% of the UPI market.