Agents × UPI: what machine payments can learn from UPI
📍 This session is part of the Agentic Hub, a community hub organized within Devcon.
Please note that participation requires a valid Devcon event pass.
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UPI did not win by being the smartest payment technology. It won because India treated the rail as shared, open public infrastructure and let apps compete on top. Agents now pay for services, pay each other and spend on behalf of people, with no human confirming each step. What should machine payments copy from UPI? Deon traces the shared history and principles behind UPI, blockchains and agentic payments, and how UPI reached mass adoption. Piyush covers how authority gets granted: shared rails, interoperability by default, scoped delegation, and mandates that can be changed or revoked in real time. Naina covers what happens after the agent spends: once the PIN is gone, how do we prove a payment matched its mandate, settle disputes, produce receipts that reconcile, and keep payments private but auditable?
Speakers
Deon Menezes, CEO, Virelity
Deon Menezes is the founder and CEO of Virelity, an AI-first startup building intelligent automation systems, AI agents, and next-generation software products. He is also a technology entrepreneur and content creator who shares insights on AI, emerging technologies, and building startups. Through hands-on product development, hackathons, and real-world automation projects, Deon explores how AI agents can transform businesses and redefine the way people work.
X: @DeonMen
Piyush Maheshwari, Head of Ecosystem/Business, Moi
I started my career as a security researcher, then from 2018 started building in blockchain. I worked with Polygon, from building to ecosystem building, then with Protocol Labs for Filecoin as Head of Ecosystem/Business for almost 2 years, and with a couple of spin-outs from Protocol Labs. Then for 2 years I was involved with Bima, a stablecoin credit facility, where I am now an advisor. Since the start of this year I have been working with Moi on ecosystem and business, while also involved with investor relations.
Naina Sachdev, India Chapter Lead, Dev3pack
AI engineer building multi-agent systems and full-stack apps | India Chapter Lead at Dev3Pack | Base DevRel Ambassador
X: @Nainasachdev11 · Dev3pack: @dev3pack