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India’s payments authority NPCI forms unit to push into AI, blockchain tech

By Thomson Reuters Nov 4, 2026 | 5:02 AM

MUMBAI, Nov 4 (Reuters) – The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said on Wednesday it had set up a wholly ​owned technology subsidiary called NPCI Tech ‌Solutions Limited (NTSL) as its technology and innovation arm.

The unit will focus on areas such as AI, blockchain, digital financial infrastructure and global capability centre services, ‌NPCI ​said.

• The payments authority’s ⁠chief technology officer Vishal ⁠Kanvaty, who has been associated with NPCI for nearly a decade, has been appointed the managing director and CEO of ​NTSL, it said

• The NPCI is an umbrella entity responsible for operating retail payments ⁠and settlement systems including ⁠the popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

• ​The move comes as India increasingly looks to ​advance its AI research and development, especially ‌in its banking and financial services sector

• NTSL will be the group’s technology and innovation arm and will build capabilities beyond ⁠NPCI’s core payments mandate as well as provide tech services for several of India’s digital public ⁠infrastructure programmes, ‌NPCI said in its statement

• “Advancements in ⁠AI and other emerging technologies ​are ‌creating new possibilities across digital infrastructure ​and ⁠financial services,” NPCI CEO Dilip Asbe said

• NTSL is NPCI’s fourth wholly owned subsidiary, after NPCI International Payments, NPCI Bharat BillPay and NPCI BHIM Services.

(Reporting by Ashwin Manikandan; Editing by ​Janane Venkatraman)