NPCI Launches BHIM 3.0 with New Features, Faster UPI Payments, and More

NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL), a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, has introduced BHIM 3.0. This update allows users to track, manage, and split expenses with friends, family, and colleagues. The app will be available on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store for Android devices by April 2025. Currently, 486 banks are integrated with the BHIM app.

BHIM 3.0 is designed to support over 15 Indian languages, ensuring smooth transactions even in areas with poor internet connectivity. The app's new features include spend analytics, which categorises expenses automatically. This helps users manage budgets without needing complex spreadsheets.

Enhanced User Experience

The updated app also introduces a task assistant that reminds users to pay pending bills linked to their BHIM account. Users can enable UPI Lite for low-value transactions and receive alerts when their LITE wallet balance is low. All UPI-LITE activities can be managed through the app.

Jai Kumar, co-founder of TechFini, states that BHIM 3.0 offers personalised payment recommendations based on transaction history. This feature simplifies navigation for those unfamiliar with digital payments by suggesting quicker payment options or relevant offers.

New Features for Families

Users can now onboard family members to track shared expenses and assign specific payments to each member. This feature provides families with a consolidated view of total expenses, aiding in better financial planning.

Rahul Jain, CFO at NTT DATA Payment Services India, notes that these updates bring BHIM on par with private players in the UPI ecosystem like Paytm and PhonePe. The addition of UPI Circle, split payments, and spend analytics enhances its appeal among users.

Merchant Benefits

For merchants, BHIM 3.0 introduces BHIM Vega-a seamless in-app payment solution that integrates directly with merchant platforms. Customers can complete payments within the app without switching to third-party applications. Sunil Rongala from Worldline India explains that Vega eliminates the need for buyers to toggle between apps during transactions. This integration ensures the entire UPI payment process occurs within the seller's app.

Tarun Nazare of Neokred highlights that BHIM Vega offers merchants a new customer experience by providing a seamless checkout process. This reduces drop-off rates and increases customer satisfaction on merchant platforms. "In February 2025," says Sunil Rongala, "the top three UPI apps accounted for 91.82% of all UPI transactions in terms of volume and 92.08% in terms of value." He adds that BHIM accounted for only 0.23% and 0.39%, respectively but expects these figures to improve with BHIM 3.0's release.