Your next UPI payment may not need the internet at all

India's NPCI is developing an NFC-based offline UPI payment feature that eliminates the need for internet or mobile network connectivity, with transactions capped at Rs 2,000 and requiring pre-loaded balances in a UPI Lite digital wallet. The feature represents a step beyond existing USSD and voice-based offline payment methods (*99# and UPI 123Pay), moving payment infrastructure away from network dependency entirely.

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