New Delhi: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) on Thursday signed an MoU to work together on strengthening cyber security and resilience in India’s fast-growing digital payments ecosystem, including UPI.

This partnership aims to improve the overall safety of digital transactions by focusing on training, awareness, and proactive risk management.Dilip Asbe, MD and CEO of NPCI, said that this collaboration with IDRBT is a step towards enhancing cyber resilience not just through technology, but also through people and preparedness. Dr Deepak Kumar, Director of IDRBT, said the institute has always worked towards helping the banking and finance sector adopt technology.He added that this formal partnership will boost security awareness and build strong response systems within the digital payments ecosystem.

Under the MoU, both organisations will jointly offer specialised training programmes for technology and cyber security professionals in the banking and digital payments sectors.One of the key outcomes of the partnership will be the launch of a new NPCI-certified payment security certification programme to helpprofessionals stay updated with emerging threats and best practices. Additionally, IDRBT will extend its cyber threat intelligence service platform to NPCI and its partner organisations.This partnership comes at a time when India’s digital payment platforms like UPI are seeing rapid growth and increased usage.