India-based travel platform ixigo is developing a voice payment feature designed to simplify transactions, yet must comply with RBI's stringent two-factor authentication guidelines that currently mandate human involvement.
- RBI rules require two-factor authentication including human confirmation for payments
- ixigo explores voiceprint and verifiable voice authorization methods
- NPCI developing agent protocols to enable AI-assisted transactions securely
What happened
ixigo is piloting a new voice payment system allowing customers to pay for travel bookings using voice commands. The goal is to reduce manual steps, such as entering one-time passwords (OTP), in the payment process. This feature is currently under review to ensure compliance with India's regulatory environment for digital payments.
The Reserve Bank of India's Authentication Mechanisms Directions of 2025 mandate that all domestic digital payments use two distinct authentication factors, with at least one factor being dynamic and unique to each transaction. This typically involves OTPs or biometric verification and currently requires human involvement, posing a challenge to fully voice-activated payments.
Why it matters
ixigo’s voice payment feature pushes the boundaries of existing payment authentication by aiming to replace traditional manual inputs with voice commands. The absence of inherent audit trails in voice instructions creates challenges in creating verifiable, auditable logs, which are critical under RBI rules to prevent unauthorized or inadvertent payments.
The regulatory framework does not prohibit voice payments but demands that any new method incorporate secure, verifiable authentication factors. This has spurred discussions about using technologies like voiceprints as a recognized authentication factor and about how AI agents might be integrated securely into the payments ecosystem without compromising security or accountability.
What to watch next
ixigo’s initiative and similar efforts by other companies, like Gnani.ai’s partnership with Razorpay for voice-initiated UPI payments, will be important to watch for how they navigate regulatory frameworks. Their progress will likely influence the adoption of voice and AI-driven payment technologies across India’s expansive digital payments market.