Flipkart, Axis Bank and PayU launch biometric card payments in India

By Aarav Garg

Flipkart, Axis Bank and PayU have launched biometric authentication for card payments, allowing eligible customers to approve transactions using fingerprint or Face ID instead of one-time passwords (OTPs).

The feature has initially been enabled for Axis Bank cardholders on supported Android and iOS devices. Customers can complete purchases through issuer-level biometric verification, reducing dependence on SMS-based OTPs that can create delays, failed transactions and added checkout friction.

Hemang Dattani, Chief Business Officer, PayU Payments, said, “As digital commerce continues to scale in India, simplifying payments without compromising on security is critical. At PayU, we are proud to partner with Flipkart to enable a biometric authentication experience for card payments, helping customers move past long-standing friction associated with OTP-based verification.”

The launch reflects a broader push across India’s payments sector to improve both conversion rates and fraud controls. OTP-based authentication has long been a key security layer for card-not-present payments, but it has also remained vulnerable to phishing, SIM-swap attacks and delivery failures. Biometric verification offers a faster, device-bound alternative already familiar to smartphone users.

Gaurav Arora, Vice President, Payments and SuperCoins at Flipkart, said, “At Flipkart, our approach to innovation is anchored around robust compliance and consumer trust. The integration of the biometric authentication feature reflects our commitment to building safety into consumer payments at a time when digital fraud risks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.”

Under the partnership, PayU manages the merchant-side authentication infrastructure, including device security and transaction flows. Axis Bank uses Wibmo, a PayU company, to power issuer-side biometric verification and approval processes.

Arnika Dixit, President & Head – Cards, Payments and Wealth Management, Axis Bank, said, “At Axis Bank, we are constantly working to reinforce trust and security across every digital touchpoint. Customers today expect digital payments to be not only safe but effortless, and biometric authentication delivers exactly that by enabling a secure, onetouch approval experience.”

Industry data linked to the RBI has shown rising digital payment fraud losses, with values crossing ₹1,400 crore in FY2024. Against that backdrop, biometric authentication is increasingly viewed to balance customer convenience with stronger security controls.