BENGALURU/DELHI: Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp is exploring the unified payments interface ( UPI ) among other payment modes to launch its payment solution in India. The development comes about a month after WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton had told ET's sister publication The Times of India that the Facebook-owned company was looking at the digital payments segment in India.A person familiar with the development told ET that WhatsApp is exploring all modes of payments in India, and that UPI is being explored as one of the alternatives. The idea is to have the correct technical expertise in the area on board, this may or may not be adopted finally by the messaging service, the source said.UPI, which is an India Stack feature developed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) allows for seamless peer to peer transactions from bank account to bank account using only a virtual payment address linked to the account and to the user's phone.For WhatsApp, which has 200 million users in India, integrating UPI instead of building its own wallet would likely be a better option given the stricter guidelines for wallets put out by the Reserve Bank of India in its recent draft notification.Without commenting on WhatsApp's plans to enter digital payments in India through UPI, a spokesperson said - "India is an important country for WhatsApp, and we're understanding how we can contribute more to the vision of Digital India. We're exploring how we might work with companies that share this vision and continuing to listen closely to feedback from our users."However, a job posting on WhatsApp's website indicates the company's string focus on UPI. Under a job listing titled 'Digital Transactions Lead, India, the company has cited 'Ability to understand and explain UPI, BHIM , Aadhar number' as a minimum qualification.During his visit to India, Acton had told TOI that WhatsApp was in the “early stages of investigating” the digital payments space in the country.Recently, Truecaller launched a UPI-based mobile payment solution in partnership with ICICI Bank.Digital payments in India got a major shot in the arm from the government’s push towards a cashless economy post the demonetisation drive in November.UPI has also seen an increasing adoption after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the UPI-based BHIM app in December, which so far has seen over 18 million downloads. The app is also turning into a white-label app for several banks.