RBI proposes one-hour delay for UPI and other transfers above Rs 10,000 to curb scams
Sending money instantly has become second nature in India, but that speed is also what scammers rely on. The Reserve Bank of India is now looking at slowing things down, selectively. In a discussion paper released this week, the central bank has proposed a one-hour delay on account-to-account transfers above Rs 10,000 made through systems like Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The idea is to create a short pause that gives users time to rethink or cancel a transaction if something feels off.
The mechanism would work through a provisional debit. The money leaves your account, but sits in a kind of holding stage for an hour. If the system flags anything suspicious, or if you realise something’s wrong, there’s still a window to act. Everyday, lower-value payments would remain instant, so routine usage isn’t affected. Merchant payments are also excluded, since they already have dispute systems in place.
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Extra safeguards for vulnerable users
The RBI is also looking at more targeted protections. For users aged 70 and above, and for people with disabilities, transactions above Rs 50,000 may require approval from a “trusted person.” This is optional, though. Users can choose whether to enable it, but the idea is to add a second layer of verification in cases where social engineering scams are more likely to succeed. Other measures under consideration include a “kill switch” to instantly disable all digital payments and limits on certain accounts until additional checks are completed. There is also talk of a whitelisting feature, which will allow users to mark trusted beneficiaries.
For most users, nothing changes for daily payments. UPI for small amounts stays as fast as it’s today. The difference will show up when you’re moving larger sums. A one-hour delay may feel like friction, especially for time-sensitive transfers, but it also adds a safety net that doesn’t exist right now. Globally, banks already use similar tools, like cooling-off periods for new payees or large transfers. RBI’s approach adapts that idea to India’s real-time payments ecosystem.
Data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal shows digital payment fraud cases have jumped more than tenfold between 2021 and 2025, reaching 2.8 million. The value of losses has grown even faster, touching Rs 230 billion. The nature of fraud has also evolved. It’s no longer just phishing links or OTP scams. Fraudsters are using fake call centres, mule accounts to move money quickly, and even deepfake impersonation to pressure users into transferring funds. The one-hour delay is meant to break that urgency. Most scams rely on pushing users to act immediately. A forced pause changes that dynamic.
