India to Pioneer Agentic AI Payments on UPI, Redefining Digital Commerce

India is set to unveil the Unified Agent Protocol next week at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, enabling AI agents to autonomously make small UPI payments under preset rules. This would make India one of the first countries with national infrastructure for agentic AI-powered payments.

According to the reports citing Reuters and other media outlets, the Unified Agent Protocol (UAP) is expected to be unveiled at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai next week.

Key Highlights

• Framework Name: Unified Agent Protocol (UAP)
• Launch Timeline: Expected announcement at Global Fintech Fest, Mumbai (next week)
• Operator: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
• LHow Agentic AI Payments Will Work

• ) Delegated Authority: Builds on UPI Circle, allowing account holders to delegate playment authority to AI agents.
• Reserve Pay Integration: Lets customers block funds for multiple debits (currently capped at ₹10,000 for 90 days, limits may be revised).

Early Use Cases

• Groceries & Daily Purchases: Frequent, low-value transactions will be the first applications.
• E-commerce Platforms: Positioned to capture early demand by automating routine purchases.
• Future Sophistication: AI agents could place orders based on discounts/sale offers or even make investments at specified price thresholds.

Global Context

• Similar frameworks already exist in US, Europe, Singapore, and Australia.
• India’s rollout would make it a global pioneer in agentic commerce, leveraging UPI’s unmatched transaction scale.

Risks & Challenges

• Trust & Accountability: AI agents must be verified and registered to prevent misuse.
• Banking Limits: Current debit block caps may restrict adoption unless revised.
• Liability Framework: NPCI is expected to introduce rules for disputes, but details remain undisclosed.

Quick Comparison

Feature	India (UPI)	Global (US/EU/SG/AU)
Scale	24.5B monthly transactions	Smaller networks
Framework	Unified Agent Protocol	Proprietary company-led
Use Cases	Groceries, e-commerce, investments	Shopping, subscriptions
Trust Layer	NPCI verification, audit trails	Company-specific checks

Infosys Ordered to Liquidate Its Subsidiary Skava, A Digital Commerce Firm It Acquired for $120 Mn

Skava Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys Ltd., was recently liquidated by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) effective from November 14, 2024.

The liquidation of Skava Pvt. Ltd. was ordered by the NCLT. Infosys received a certified copy of the order on November 28, 20241. The NCLT's decision was based on Skava's reclassification from "held for sale" status in 2019 and its net worth of Rs 2.72 crore as of March 31, 2024.

Infosys shares fell by 3.53% following the announcement of Skava's liquidation.

Infosys had initially acquired Skava, a digital commerce firm, for $120 million in 2015 as part of its strategy to enhance digital experiences for clients. However, plans to sell the firm were eventually abandoned, and its assets were repurposed its business as they didn't expect a sale to materialize.

Skava Pvt. Ltd. was a digital commerce firm acquired by Infosys in 2015 for $120 million. The company specialized in providing digital experience solutions for the retail industry. Infosys acquired Skava as part of its strategy to enhance digital experiences for clients through IP-led technology offerings.

Infosys took a cumulative write-off of Rs 451 crore for Skava, including Rs 358 crore towards goodwill and Rs 93 crore towards the value of customer relationships.

Skava Pvt. Ltd. was founded in 2002, by Arish Ali and Arvind Parthasarathy. The company initially focused on providing modern e-commerce capabilities to business clients, offering modular microservices architecture and rich front-end applications.

Skava was primarily backed by accelerator/incubator programs before being acquired by Infosys.

FedEx Integrates WhatsApp Notifications into Digital E-Commerce Delivery Solution for Indian Consumers

Integration of WhatsApp in FedEx® Delivery Manager International makes last-mile delivery even easier

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world's largest express transportation company, is enhancing its services with delivery notifications and personalized options now available on WhatsApp. The integration of one of the world’s most popular instant messaging apps into the FedEx® Delivery Manager International (FDMi) e-commerce solution is launched in India.

FDMi is an interactive e-commerce delivery solution that provides customizable delivery options and alerts. E-tailers using the solution can offer their customers the ability to pick the timing and location of their deliveries to fit their schedule – and change the delivery address when the shipment is in transit – giving them extra flexibility at no extra cost.

The WhatsApp instant messaging social media platform has 2 billion active monthly users globally. Over 80% of the population over the age of 16 in India, use it, and for 96% of users it‘s the most favored social media platform. With such high penetration, the integration of WhatsApp into FDMi makes it a much more effective solution for e-tailers to offer to their shoppers.

Recipients expecting inbound deliveries receive a WhatsApp notification from FedEx upon shipment pickup. FedEx uses a META-verified WhatsApp business account which helps mitigate the risk of recipients responding to scams perpetrated on WhatsApp using the FedEx brand. Recipients can message and chat with FedEx directly as well as access tracking status and re-direct options with the click of a button directly in the WhatsApp chat window.

“We know that consumers have an increasing preference for personalized delivery services. Integrating social platforms of choice like WhatsApp into our digital solutions gives an added boost to the convenience we can offer to e-commerce customers,” said Salil Chari, senior vice president, Marketing and Customer Experience, AMEA. “This service enhancement that allows two-way engagement is another example of how we are working at the intersection of our digital and physical networks to create differentiated, customer-centric service experiences.”

The integration of WhatsApp into FDMi is a win-win for all participants in the e-commerce ecosystem. In an increasingly competitive online marketplace, FDMi helps e-tailers, especially SMEs, provide a differentiated service offer. Customers get more peace of mind through the traceability of their package on their mobile device, as well as an enhanced online shopping experience. It also helps FedEx minimize delivery attempts to recipients who may not be at the registered delivery address.

About FedEx Express

FedEx Express is the world's largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed the delivery of time-sensitive shipments by a definite time and date.

Learn more about the latest insights in the logistics industry, please visit:

FedEx Business Insights Hub
LinkedIn FedEx Go Global