WhatsApp Pay received NPCI’s approval in 2020 to launch its payment service in India. Credit: DANIEL CONSTANTE/ Shutterstock.

The National payments corporation of India (NPCI) has lifted the cap on the number of users WhatsApp Pay can onboard.  

This decision enables WhatsApp Pay to offer unified payments interface (UPI) services to its entire user base in the country, which stands at over 500 million. 

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Previously, the NPCI had allowed WhatsApp Pay to increase its UPI user base in stages. However, with the latest notification, the restrictions on user onboarding have been completely removed.  

WhatsApp Pay is expected to adhere to all the current UPI guidelines and circulars that apply to Third Party App Providers (TPAPs). 

The NPCI’s approval for WhatsApp Pay to launch its payment service came in 2020, after the company had spent time ensuring compliance with Indian regulations.  

These regulations include the mandate for all payments-related data to be stored within the country.  

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Initially, WhatsApp Pay began with a user base of 20 million, which later increased to 40 million in November 2021.  

In 2022, the company received regulatory approval to expand its user base to 100 million. 

WhatsApp Pay operates as an integrated UPI-based payment feature within Meta’s instant messaging platform, allowing users to send and receive money.  

Set up in 2008, NPCI is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.  

It is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), created under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, with the aim of developing a smooth payment and settlement infrastructure in the country.