Join us in our journey to simplify authentication on UPI

Register

February 9th, 2021

Participating teams can register and explore the hackathon
Submit proposals

February 28th, 2021

Participating teams to submit their proposals and showcase their capabilities
Shortlisting

March 12th, 2021

Proposals will be reviewed and shortlisted by NPCI's panel of experts
Solution Submission

March 31st, 2021

Shortlisted solutions will be developed and submitted for evaluation on the APIX platform
Winner Announcement

July 30th, 2021

Evaluation and selection of award winners by NPCI's judging panel

Hosted By

Supported By

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the NPCI's PayAuth Challenge

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrella organization set up for running retail payments and settlement systems in India, operating more than 10 different payments products, connecting 1200+ banks, 200+ aggregators and apps, and a billion+ users!

NPCI's PayAuth Challenge aims to identify alternative solutions around payment verification and authorization in UPI, in order to provide risk-based user confirmation and user-friendly transaction authorization on the platform.

This challenge has been devised with the purpose of exploring the feasibility and viability of alternative mechanisms for payment authentication. How does that work?

If you have a product or solution that simplifies authentication/authorization through innovative technologies like biometric verification, device fingerprinting or facial recognition, this is your chance to shine!

What is UPI? The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform is a real-time payment network set up by NPCI that enables account-to-account transactions through several different mobile apps and platforms. Wish to learn more? Visit: https://www.npci.org.in/what-we-do/upi/product-overview

Problem Statements

The prestigious PayAuth Challenge by NPCI aims to explore the feasibility and viability of alternative payment verification mechanisms and the subsequent user behaviour towards such alternatives.

PayAuth

NPCI's PayAuth Challenge aims to identify alternative solutions for payment authentication and authorization in UPI to provide a more secure user friendly way for users to transact.

Prizes

Prizes Up For Grab

Winning teams will receive:

20000 USD

1st Prize

10000 USD

2nd Prize

Winners get a chance to do a PoC with NPCI

Eligibility

Participants must be from an incorporated organization, or willing to form an incorporated entity preferably in India if they are winners of the hackathon.
Possess a minimum viable product (MVP) or a product available on the market or ready to be rolled out in the market.
Participants from all backgrounds and geographies are welcome, albeit knowledge about the Indian payments market and consumers is preferred.

FAQ

Who can apply

This is a global challenge open for individuals and enterprises offering technology solutions in payments. It is especially suited for enterprises (including startups) with ready solutions that can be piloted with limited additional development and integration efforts. However, all relevant and impactful solutions will be considered irrespective of the stage.

What is the format of the program?

Applications will be received only through the online process. NPCI will shortlist the most promising solutions for further support. Wherever needed, these solutions will be provided with access to NPCI sandbox and technical support so that demo-able products can be created. The winners will be selected from the shortlist based on the product pitch and demos towards the end of the program.

Do I need a registered company to apply?

You need not be a registered firm at the time of application. But if a team wins, representatives are then expected to register a new firm/company to be able to accept the winning prize and perform a PoC/pilot with NPCI.

How will the prize be disbursed?

The prize will be disbursed to the winners as per standard NPCI startup engagement policies and will be subject to tax deductions as applicable in India.

Will the information shared be kept confidential?

Information provided to us through the online application will be shared only on a need-to-know basis within the relevant program and evaluation teams. The information provided will be retained by us post the program for audit purposes and will be shared with an external party only upon obtaining explicit permission from the applicant / authorized team member.

Register

Submit proposals

Shortlisting

Solution Submission

Winner Announcement