Gupshup.io enables UPI payments on feature phones; boosts financial inclusion for 320 mn feature phones users 

Gupshup.io, the leading conversational engagement platform is bringing the convenience of UPI payments for India’s vast swathe of people using affordable feature phones. The company is first in the space to come up with a native payment app for feature phones, which offers a delightful payment experience, eliminating the need for users to input numeric digits. GSPay, the native app built by Gupshup.io uses the power of SMS messaging to deliver an easy to use payments experience, without the need for data plan or internet connectivity. In fact, feature phone users can now scan QR codes to make payments.

Gupshup.io is leveraging UPI 123 Pay, an instant payment system launched by RBI and NPCI last year to enable safe and secure payments for feature phone users. So far, solutions built on UPI 123 Pay have deployed either missed calls or an IVR based system for making payments.The IVR based system however works for existing UPI users. But with GSPay, even new users can register for UPI, link bank accounts and set UPI PIN, all within the embedded app in the phone.  

The app gives an option to make payments either via mobile number or UPI ID, completing the transaction in a simple 2-step process. To make a payment, the user needs to enter the mobile number or UPI ID of the payee, the amount and UPI PIN. Upon confirmation, the payment is successfully completed and the user gets a notification. 

The GSPay app is available in 12 Indian languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Odia and Assamese among others to ensure ease of access even at the grassroots. The company recently partnered with Nokia (HMD Global) to enable GSPay on Nokia 105 (2023) and Nokia 106 4G feature phones.

As much as 51.3% Indians do not have access to the internet, and GSPay will help them make utility and P2P payments, without any data connection. The app lets users pay bills, sends them actionable payment reminders and helps them keep a track of their outgoing and incoming transactions done on UPI. To ensure user security, the app has multiple levels of encryption and authentication built into it. 

“At Gupshup.io, our mission is to leverage the power of messaging to enable rich consumer experiences. Here, we use the SMS messaging channel to deliver a rich payments experience on feature phones. This innovative capability will bring the vast numbers of feature phone users into the digital and payments ecosystem. We’re glad to work with NPCI and Nokia and Airtel Payments Bank to make this a reality”, said Beerud Sheth, CEO and Co-founder, Gupshup.io

Gupshup.io has worked extensively with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to develop GSPay. The company’s solution (now GSPay) had won NPCI’s Grand Challenge in 2020, beating 750 innovators from around the world, who had submitted ideas and solutions towards a payment system for feature phones in India. The challenge was launched in November 2019 by NPCI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.