Reserve Bank of India in collaboration with NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India) launched a UPI functionality that will work without the internet. The interface designed for feature phones is dubbed as UPI123Pay.
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das emphasizing the multifaceted features of UPI mostly available for smartphones excludes people from the underprivileged society especially the rural services from accessing the service.
Das said that the ‘UPI recorded 453 crore transactions worth Rs 8.26 lakh crore in February 2022, which is almost double in comparison to a year ago.’ ‘In the financial year 2020-21, the total value of transactions done on UPI was around Rs 41 lakh crore whereas in the current fiscal so far the total volume of transactions is Rs 76 lakh crore,’ he further mentioned.
As for the UPI123Pay, it is a three-step method to initiate and execute services in feature phones. “Two landmark initiatives are being launched today that is UPI123Pay and DigiSaathi. These two represent two diverse yet significant dimensions of our payments ecosystem. In UPI123Pay, there are broadly three steps that will take a user to take to complete transactions. UPI123Pay is about empowering more people to get onboarded digital experience through feature phones. DigitSaathi is all about further enhancing trust in the digital payment ecosystem,” RBI Governor said.
How to use UPI123Pay without internet
-First up, link your bank account with UPI123Pay.
-Once linked you will then have to set a UPI PIN using your debit or credit card.
-Post setting the PIN you will have to use your feature phone and call the IVR number and select the service that you want- money transfer, bill payment, etc.
-In case you want to transfer money select the service, add the phone number of the recipient, enter the amount, and then PIN number. To make a payment to a merchant one can choose either of the methods. There is voice command available as well for quick transactions.
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