Discover
Nearby merchants broadcast short-lived BLE handles—not account details.
Android prototype · Active development
Nearby checkout,
without the camera.
Discover a shop over Bluetooth, verify the exact request, and approve payment inside the UPI app you already trust.
Signed requestsUPI-native approvalNo PIN collection
11:24● ● ▰
UPI NEARBY
Pay the place
in front of you.
Corner Tea12 m away · Verified request
₹48
Fresh Basket31 m away
₹—
BLEClosest verified requestselected locally
01 / THE IDEA
QR made UPI visible.
Bluetooth can make it ambient.
For a busy counter, opening a scanner, finding the code, framing it and waiting for recognition is small friction repeated all day. UPI Nearby explores a faster discovery layer while leaving the regulated payment rail untouched.
02 / PAYMENT FLOW
Proximity finds it.
Cryptography verifies it.
Verify
The payer reads a signed, expiring request containing the payee and amount.
Review
Both parties are shown before handoff. Replays and altered requests are rejected.
Approve
The selected UPI app performs authentication and the bank transaction.
03 / TRY THE MODEL
The closest request earns attention—not automatic payment.
Signal strength helps order the list. The customer still sees the merchant and amount and must explicitly continue.
This illustrates prioritization; BLE distance is an estimate, not a precise measurement.1
Corner TeaVerified · Open shop
8 m2
Fresh BasketVerified · Exact request
21 m3
Metro PharmacyVerified · Open shop
38 m04 / TRUST BOUNDARIES
Designed around what the app should never do.
Never collect a UPI PIN
Authentication stays inside the payer’s installed UPI application.
Never trust proximity alone
BLE discovers requests. Server signatures establish integrity and expiry.
Never infer settlement
A production merchant confirms payment through its acquiring PSP—not a phone callback.
05 / BUILD STATUS
Working prototype.
Honest next steps.
The discovery and signed-request loop works on Android. The remaining path to a pilot is merchant acquisition and authoritative settlement confirmation.
- BLE discovery and closest-shop priorityWorking on physical Android devices
- Signed amount-bound invoicesLive managed backend and replay protection
- Merchant pilot experienceUI refinement, diagnostics and QR fallback
- PSP / acquiring-bank integrationVerified merchant VPA, MCC and settlement webhooks
EARLY ACCESS
Building for the counter, one verified step at a time.
UPI Nearby is an upcoming experiment by Anant Goel. Follow the build, review the engineering, or get in touch about a controlled merchant pilot.