Starting August 1, 2025, users of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will face new restrictions on certain types of API (Application Programming Interface) requests, as the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) rolls out updated rules aimed at preventing system overloads and outages.
In a circular dated May 21, 2025, NPCI has directed all banks and payment service providers (PSPs) to regulate the usage of 10 high-volume APIs used across the UPI network. These include non-financial requests like balance inquiries, checking transaction status, and retrieving a list of linked accounts, as well as the autopay mandate—a financial API.
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From July 31, the balance inquiry function will be limited to 50 requests per app per user per day. Similarly, the request to view linked accounts will be capped at 25 times per app per day. These measures are aimed at reducing API congestion, especially during high-traffic periods.
NPCI has identified peak hours as 10 AM to 1 PM and 5 PM to 9:30 PM. During these times, system-initiated API calls must be limited, while the autopay mandates will be processed exclusively during non-peak hours. Though users can still create mandates at any time, execution will occur only outside peak hours, with up to one attempt and three retries allowed.
The circular also instructs PSPs and banks to delay transaction status checks by at least 90 seconds after a transaction is authenticated, and to restrict such checks to three times within a two-hour window. For error-prone transactions, repeated status checks are to be avoided.
Additionally, all acquiring banks must undergo annual system audits by CERT-In empanelled auditors, with the first report due by August 31, 2025. PSPs are also required to submit undertakings confirming that automated API requests are rate-limited and properly queued.
Despite the new restrictions, NPCI has assured that real-time balance updates will remain available with each successful transaction. While traders and frequent users may face slight inconveniences, these changes are necessary to ensure the stability and availability of the UPI system for all users.
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