In a groundbreaking move that blends conversational AI with digital payments, OpenAI has joined hands with India’s National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and fintech major Razorpay to pilot UPI payments directly through ChatGPT. The initiative allows users to make purchases within the chat itself, starting with e-commerce giant Bigbasket as the first platform to support the new feature.

The partnership, officially announced on October 9, 2025, marks a first-of-its-kind effort to integrate India’s real-time payments system with an AI chatbot. According to a joint statement by the companies, the pilot program is designed to test how AI agents can carry out transactions autonomously, safely, and under full user control.

At this stage, the collaboration remains in a testing phase, focusing on understanding how AI-powered payments can enhance user convenience and redefine digital commerce across different sectors.

Banks and Platforms Onboard

Major financial institutions like Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank have joined the pilot as initial banking partners. Bigbasket, part of the Tata Group, becomes the first service where users can shop directly through ChatGPT using UPI. This means users can browse products, place orders, and make payments—all within the chat interface—without switching between multiple apps or websites.

“We’re excited to work with NPCI and explore how we can combine advanced AI with UPI, one of the world’s most trusted real-time payment networks, to unlock a new era of effortless and secure commerce,” said Oliver Jay, Managing Director of International Strategy at OpenAI.

UPI’s Growing Dominance

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) continues to be the backbone of the nation’s digital economy, processing over 20 billion transactions every month. With this pilot, OpenAI and NPCI aim to explore how conversational AI can seamlessly integrate with existing financial systems to simplify and humanize digital transactions.

Fintech Innovation at Global Fintech Fest 2025

At the Global Fintech Fest 2025, NPCI also introduced several new AI-driven innovations, including AI-based UPI Help, powered by its Small Language Model (SLM). This assistant will help users with payments, mandates, and dispute resolutions in real time.

Other announcements included IoT payments via UPI, which will enable transactions through connected devices such as cars, wearables, and smart TVs, and UPI Reserve Pay, a new feature allowing users to set and manage credit limits for specific purchases.

What’s Next?

For now, the UPI-on-ChatGPT feature is limited to select users and partner platforms as part of the pilot rollout. The next phase will involve evaluating user experience, security, and transaction reliability before a wider public release.

If successful, this collaboration could pave the way for a new era where AI tools handle commerce in a more conversational and context-driven manner, making digital transactions as simple as chatting.