WhatsApp to use your 'legal name' for UPI payments: Here's what it means

New Delhi: To proceed with UPI-based payments on WhatsApp, users will now be asked for their "legal" names. These 'legal' names correspond to the names on the users' bank accounts. They will be displayed to the receiver and may differ from the profile names. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) established the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) rules in order to combat payment fraud.

WhatsApp has acknowledged this on its official website. "This criterion is set by NPCI and meant to reduce fraud across the UPI payments system," according to the statement. WhatsApp uses the phone number connected with your account to use UPI to identify your bank account. Your bank account's name is the name that will be shared.

Both iOS and Android users will benefit from this change.

Until previously, WhatsApp users could add the sender's name themselves, which could be up to 25 characters long and contain emojis. To make a payment, all users must now provide their legal name as it appears on their UPI linked bank account.

WhatsApp has begun sending out app alerts informing users of the upgrade, which include a link to a FAQ page that explains the legal name requirement.

Users can locate the FAQ page under Settings>Help Center>About UPI Payments and legal name for many users.

For the uninitiated, making payments or receiving money via WhatsApp does not need the use of a digital wallet. The messaging app makes use of the same Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism as Google Pay, Phone Pay, BHIM, and other bank apps. Users of WhatsApp can also make payments using other apps like BHIM, Google Pay, or Phone Pay.