Zeta, Pluxee launch passkey authentication for RuPay card payments

SENSEX   74,781.76

 -120.83

NIFTY   23,398.10

 -79.70

CRUDEOIL   9,507.00

 -215.00

GOLD   151,583.00

 -758.00

SILVER   232,800.00

 -1,299.00

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 gone live with passkey-based authentication for RuPay prepaid card transactions, replacing SMS one-time passwords with device-bound cryptographic credentials for online payments. The capability, enabled on the RuPay network by the National Payments Corporation of India, was announced in Mumbai on September 11, 2026.

Under the new system, cardholders register a passkey once at checkout, confirmed by a single OTP, and subsequently authenticate transactions using biometrics such as a fingerprint or facial recognition, or a device PIN, with no further SMS OTP required. Zeta says passkey authentication completes in roughly 5–7 seconds, compared to 15–25 seconds for conventional OTP flows, and that registration completion rates in its implementation have been approximately 99 per cent.

The launch comes against the backdrop of 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, in effect since April 1, 2026, which pushes issuers beyond SMS OTPs toward dynamic, device-bound authentication factors.

Passkeys use cryptographic credentials that cannot be phished or intercepted, reducing exposure to card-not-present fraud. For merchants, fewer checkout steps could lower authentication-related drop-offs and improve conversion rates.

Zeta said it is working with additional RuPay issuers to extend passkey authentication to a broader cardholder base.

Published on September 11, 2026

THIS AD SUPPORTS OUR JOURNALISM.

FOR MINIMAL ADS.

THIS AD SUPPORTS OUR JOURNALISM.

FOR MINIMAL ADS.