New Google Pay feature allows users to pay without UPI PIN for small transactions

NEW DELHI :Google's payment app Google Pay on Thursday introduced UPI LITE on its platform to ease small digital transactions.

UPI Lite allows users to load up to Rs 4,000 in a day for instant transactions limited to Rs 200 at one go, the search engine giant said.

Designed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), it allows small transactions without the need for entering their UPI PIN.

According to the company, UPI LITE accounts are linked to user's bank accounts but do not rely real-time on the issuing bank's core banking system, resulting in higher payment success rates even during peak transaction hours, and a less cluttered bank passbook.

Users can activate the feature by logging into their Google Pay app and accessing their profile page, after which they must tap on "activate UPI LITE." Google joins the likes of BHIM, Paytm and PhonePe and 15 banks, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Punjab National Bank to launch the service on its platform, as per the NPCI website.

Ambarish Kenghe, VP - Product Management at Google, said that unique offerings and use cases are core to driving further adoption of digital payments in the country.

"With the introduction of UPI LITE on the platform, we aim to simplify small-value transactions by helping users access a convenient, compact and superfast payments experience," Kenghe said.

The Reserve Bank of India introduced the feature in September 2022