Preparations underway for Aadhaar-based face authentication for high-value transactions! 640 million smartphones to become verification devices

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) may soon take a major step toward securing high-value financial transactions. A senior UIDAI official revealed on Tuesday that NPCI is considering implementing an Aadhaar-based face authentication system. According to PTI, during a panel discussion at the Global FinTech Fest 2025, UIDAI Deputy Director General Abhishek Kumar Singh highlighted this potential change.

Why is face authentication necessary?

Singh emphasized that face authentication is essential for multi-factor assessment. He said, “UIDAI is an infrastructure. This is the only way to ensure who is who. We have the world’s largest biometric database.” He explained that UIDAI has already agreed with this approach and may make an official announcement in the coming days. He urged other bankers to adopt this new technology, calling it the easiest and fastest way to verify identity.

Over 640 million smartphones will become verification devices.

This new system will completely transform the device ecosystem. Currently, biometric authentication requires specific devices (except for OTP-based authentication). However, with face authentication, this limitation will be eliminated. Singh pointed out that according to a three-month-old report, there are over 640 million smartphones in India. He said that when we consider face authentication, your smartphone becomes your device, and thus the device ecosystem suddenly exceeds 640 million. This means that this technology will allow anyone to verify their identity easily and anywhere, making high-value financial transactions even more secure and convenient.