How about “UPI Payments Go Hands-Free: Make Payments by Talking or Tapping Your Phone!”? soon be able to make UPI payments by talking or just 
Ravi: Thank you, Anjali. I’m here at the RBI headquarters, where the governor, Shakti Kanta Das, has just announced the introduction of conversational payments on UPI. Conversational payment involves the use of artificial intelligence or AI to enable users to converse with their UPI apps and make payments using voice commands or gestures. This feature will be available in both smartphone and feature phone-based UPI channels, and will initially support Hindi and English languages, with more Indian languages to be added later. The governor said that this feature will enhance the ease of use and reach of the UPI system, especially for those who are not comfortable with typing or reading on their phones.
Ashutosh Kumar: That sounds very interesting, Ravi. But how will this feature work? Can you give us an example?
Ravi: Sure, Anjali. Let me show you how this feature works with a demo app that I have on my phone. As you can see, I have opened the app and it is asking me to say “Hello” to start the conversation. So, I will say “Hello” now.
App: Hello, Ravi. Welcome to UPI Conversational Payments. How can I help you today?
Ravi: I want to pay my electricity bill.
App: Okay, Ravi. I can help you with that. Please tell me your biller's name or scan the QR code on your bill.
Ravi: My biller's name is BSES Rajdhani.
App: Alright, Ravi. I have found your biller's name. Please tell me your consumer number or scan the barcode on your bill.
Ravi: My consumer number is 1234567890.
App: Okay, Ravi. I have fetched your bill details. Your bill amount is Rs 500, and it is due on 15th August 2023. Do you want to pay for it now?
Ravi: Yes, please.
App: Alright, Ravi. Please choose your payment method from the following options: UPI ID, bank account, debit card, credit card, or wallet.
Ravi: UPI ID.
App: Okay, Ravi. Please tell me your UPI ID or scan the QR code of your preferred UPI app.
Ravi: My UPI ID is ravi@upi.
App: Alright, Ravi. I have verified your UPI ID. Please confirm your payment by saying “Yes” or tapping your phone twice.
Ravi: Yes.
App: Okay, Ravi. Your payment is in progress. Please enter your UPI PIN or say it out loud.
Ravi: ****
App: Thank you, Ravi. Your payment is successful. You have paid Rs 500 to BSES Rajdhani for your electricity bill using your UPI ID ravi@upi. You will receive a confirmation message and a receipt shortly. Do you want to do anything else?
Ravi: No, thank you.
App: You’re welcome, Ravi. Thank you for using UPI Conversational Payments. Have a nice day!
Ravi: So, Anjali, as you can see, I have just paid my electricity bill using conversational payments on UPI without typing anything on my phone. It was very easy and convenient.
Ashutosh Kumar: Wow, Ravi, that was amazing! Thank you for showing us how conversational payments on UPI work. But what about offline payments? I heard that the RBI has also introduced offline payments on UPI using Field Communication or NFC technology. Can you tell us more about that?
Ravi: Yes, Anjali. The RBI has also proposed to introduce offline payments on UPI using NFC technology through the UPI-Lite on-device wallet. This feature will allow users to make payments without internet or telecom connectivity by simply tapping their phones near a compatible payment terminal or another phone with NFC enabled. This feature will be useful in situations where there is weak or no network coverage or where speed and reliability are important factors for making payments.
The RBI has also increased the upper limit of a UPI Lite payment transaction from Rs 200 to Rs 500 and the total limit of UPI Lite balance for an on-device wallet from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. The RBI has said that these features will be implemented soon and that it will issue detailed instructions to the National Payments Corporation of India or NPCI, which operates the UPI system, shortly.
Ashutosh Kumar: Thank you, Ravi, for giving us all the details about the new features of UPI. It seems that the RBI is taking steps to make UPI more innovative and inclusive for the digital economy. We will keep you updated on the developments of this story. Stay tuned for more news and updates. This is Anjali, signing off.
UPI or Unified Payments Interface is a real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that facilitates inter-bank transactions by instantly transferring funds between two bank accounts on a mobile platform. It allows users to transfer money from one bank account to another without the need for any bank details, such as account number and IFSC code. UPI payments can be made using a virtual payment address (VPA), mobile number, or QR code.
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced some new features for the UPI payment system that will make it more user-friendly and accessible. These features include conversational payments using artificial intelligence (AI) and offline payments using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Conversational payments involve the use of AI to enable users to converse with their UPI apps and make payments using voice commands or gestures. This feature will be available in both smartphone and feature phone-based UPI channels, and will initially support Hindi and English languages, with more Indian languages to be added later. The offline payment feature will allow users to make payments without internet or telecom connectivity by simply tapping their phones near a compatible payment terminal or another phone with NFC enabled.
UPI is perhaps the most efficient and advanced payment system in the world, according to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The UPI system has been linked with Singapore, and RuPay cards are used in a few countries. The RBI has also signed an MoU with UAE for linking UPI with their fast payments system.
I hope this information helps! Let me comment on the post if you have any other questions.