Zeta, Pluxee launch passkey authentication for RuPay card payments
2 min read
Passkeys use cryptographic credentials that cannot be phished or intercepted, reducing exposure to card-not-present fraud.
| Photo Credit:
Dado Ruvic
Zeta and Pluxee have launched passkey-based authentication for RuPay prepaid card transactions, replacing SMS one-time passwords with device-bound cryptographic credentials for online payments. The National Payments Corporation of India enabled the capability on the RuPay network, with the announcement made in Mumbai on September 11, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Zeta and Pluxee launched passkey-based authentication for RuPay prepaid card transactions.
- The system replaces SMS one-time passwords with device-bound cryptographic credentials for online payments.
- NPCI enabled the capability on the RuPay network, announced in Mumbai on September 11, 2026.
- Cardholders register a passkey once, then authenticate future transactions via biometrics or device PIN without further OTPs.
Cardholders register a passkey once at checkout with a single OTP, then authenticate subsequent transactions using biometrics such as fingerprint or facial recognition, or a device PIN—no further SMS OTP required. Zeta reports passkey authentication completes in roughly 5–7 seconds versus 15–25 seconds for conventional OTP flows, with registration completion rates around 99 per cent.
The rollout follows rising digital payment fraud in India, which crossed ₹21,367 crore in FY2025—more than five times the prior year—and the Reserve Bank of India’s two-factor authentication mandate effective April 1, 2026, which pushes issuers beyond SMS OTPs toward dynamic, device-bound authentication.
Passkeys rely on cryptographic credentials that cannot be phished or intercepted, reducing exposure to card-not-present fraud. For merchants, fewer checkout steps may lower authentication-related drop-offs and improve conversion rates.
Zeta is working with additional RuPay issuers to extend passkey authentication to a broader cardholder base.
Published on September 11, 2026
