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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) today launched “Face Auth SDK & Sandbox”, a set of software tools and a testing environment designed to help developers integrate Aadhaar face authentication into digital services. Unveiled on the second day of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai, the offering brings together ready-made software components and a controlled testing environment. Developers can use it to build and test face authentication-based services before making them available to users. The UIDAI described the offering as a “plug-and-play” solution aimed at enabling secure and frictionless face authentication. The software development kit (SDK) will allow developers to add Aadhaar face authentication to apps and other digital services without building the underlying technology from scratch. Meanwhile, the sandbox will allow them to test whether the integration works as intended before its wider rollout. The launch is aimed at simplifying the adoption of Aadhaar face authentication across services such as customer verification, telecom enrolment and gig worker onboarding. Face authentication itself is not new. The UIDAI introduced face recognition as an additional option for Aadhaar authentication in 2018, alongside fingerprints and iris scans. The latest offering seeks to make the existing technology easier for developers and businesses to adopt. The development forms part of UIDAI’s wider push to shift Aadhaar services away from paperwork and in-person processes towards digital verification. Speaking at GFF, UIDAI part-time chairperson Neelkanth Mishra said Aadhaar currently handles around 10 Cr authentications a day. The authority is preparing its infrastructure to support 25 Cr to 30 Cr authentications daily as usage grows. More than 600 entities currently use the digital identity infrastructure, according to Mishra. “We are also using AI extensively for fraud detection. The fraudsters keep getting smarter, but we are also getting smarter,” he said during a session. Face Authentication Push The UIDAI has been expanding the use of face authentication while working to address attempts to fool biometric systems using manipulated images, masks and deepfakes. In October last year, the authority launched the SITAA programme to support the development of technology capable of detecting such attacks on Aadhaar face authentication systems. The government has also been expanding the Aadhaar app, which allows users to verify their identities digitally and share selected information instead of handing over physical copies of their Aadhaar cards. Launched in beta in April 2025, the app uses face authentication and QR codes for identity verification. Its features include updating details such as mobile numbers and addresses, locking and unlocking biometrics, and viewing authentication history. “With the Aadhaar app, we have also gone digital. We are trying to shift paper-based and physical journeys to digital, and there are huge advantages that come from that,” Mishra said. The latest launch comes amid growing government and regulatory focus on fraud, cybersecurity and consumer protection as India’s digital financial ecosystem expands. At the inauguration of GFF 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged fintech companies to strengthen cybersecurity, data protection and consumer safeguards as technologies such as agentic AI, tokenisation and quantum computing reshape financial services. Modi outlined four priorities for the sector — stronger cybersecurity, ethical data protection, better consumer protection, and closer collaboration between companies and regulators. The government has also formed an inter-ministerial group to develop a cybersecurity strategy for India’s financial sector. The seventh edition of GFF is being held from September 8 to 11. Its theme this year is “Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum — Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance”.
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