This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 15, 2020, WhatsApp launched a new feature: person-to-person payments, enabled through Facebook Pay. The service is being rolled out in Brazil first and will enable people to send money or make a purchase from a local business without leaving their WhatsApp chat.
According to WhatsApp, users need to link a credit or debit card to their WhatsApp account, and transactions are secured with either fingerprint or a six-digit PIN. There will be no fees for consumers to use the payments service, but merchants will pay a processing fee.
WhatsApp tested the payment system in India beginning in 2018. The launch in Brazil will be the first nationwide rollout and will introduce the ability to directly pay a business. With over 1.5 billion monthly users worldwide, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messaging app in the world, according to market tracker Statistica.
