Wire · technology
NPCI wants phone numbers masked, talks on with banks, UPI apps to improve privacy
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Fusion42 · 28 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
India's NPCI is negotiating with banks and UPI app developers to mask phone numbers in transaction flows, addressing privacy concerns in the country's digital payments infrastructure. The move aims to reduce personal data exposure while maintaining the functionality of UPI's phone-number-based payment identifiers.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Payments, and 4 sources have reported it between 28 Jul 2026 and 29 Jul 2026.
◆ ◆ The Wire takeaway
UPI's core mechanic—payments routed through phone numbers—is about to change. If you're building payment flows, risk scoring, or fraud detection on top of UPI, your integration now depends on how NPCI implements masking, and you'll need to adapt within the next six months.
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4 sources · first reported 28 Jul 2026 · latest 29 Jul 2026
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