UIDAI unveils face authentication SDK and sandbox for banks and fintechs
UIDAI launches Aadhaar Face Authentication SDK and Sandbox to help banks and fintechs integrate face verification into their apps, reducing reliance on external apps.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced new tools to simplify Aadhaar-based face authentication for the financial sector. At the Global Fintech Fest 2026, the authority launched an Aadhaar Face Authentication Software Development Kit (SDK) and a companion Sandbox, according to a release from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The SDK allows banks, insurance companies, fintech firms, and brokerage platforms to embed face authentication directly into their own Android and iOS mobile applications. This removes the need for users to switch to a separate app, such as the previously required FaceRD background application, for identity verification. The integration is expected to streamline customer onboarding and reduce dependency on additional software.
UIDAI said the SDK incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning-based liveness detection and anti-spoofing measures. It also supports secure data handling and encryption, and is designed to work across a range of consumer smartphones.
The newly launched Sandbox enables organisations to test and validate their authentication systems before going live. It allows developers and quality assurance teams to simulate key stages—user provisioning, consent, face capture, liveness checks, authentication, error handling, and response validation—without needing external biometric hardware. The sandbox can also be used to test failure scenarios such as network interruptions, timeouts, invalid digital signatures, and spoofing attempts.
According to UIDAI, the launch addresses a long-standing demand from the banking and fintech ecosystem for a more seamless way to onboard and authenticate customers within their own applications. The Aadhaar Face Authentication system, first launched in 2021, has processed over 500 crore transactions and is used by nearly 200 entities, including banks, non-banking financial companies, government departments, telecom operators, and brokerage firms.
In addition, UIDAI released a “Playbook on ease of Onboarding” to guide banking, financial services, and insurance entities in joining the authentication ecosystem for verifying customers, employees, and business partners.