In February this year, the team behind the green messenger launched the WhatsApp Pay service, which is based on Facebook Pay. presented. The global rollout is now set to begin.
In the future, users will be able to make payments and transfers via WhatsApp. The function will now be introduced globally in the near future. Today, the service was activated in Brazil. This is stated in a blog post:
We are pleased to announce that starting today, our users in Brazil can make digital payments through WhatsApp, meaning they can securely send money or make a purchase from a local business without leaving their chat.
Brazil's more than 10 million small businesses and one-person businesses form the backbone of the country. It's become perfectly normal to spontaneously write to a company to ask a question. But now, not only can you view a store's catalog, you can also make payments for orders. Simplifying payments is making it easier for many companies to enter the digital economy and provide them with new growth opportunities.
We're also making it easy to send money to loved ones, which is crucial for people who live far away from each other. Since WhatsApp payments are powered by Facebook Pay, we want to enable both individuals and businesses to use the same card details across Facebook's family of apps in the future.
Our payment functionality was developed with security as a top priority. A special six-digit PIN or fingerprint is required to prevent unauthorized transactions. To start with, we support debit and credit cards from Banco do Brasil, Nubank and Sicredi (Visa and Mastercard), and we are currently working with Cielo, the leading payment processing provider in Brazil. We have designed an open model to bring more partners on board in the future.
Sending payments and paying for purchases via WhatsApp is free for individuals. Businesses must pay a processing fee to receive customer payments (similar to credit card transactions).
Apple Pay Cash relies on iMessage
It is currently unknown when other countries will follow suit - but it probably won't be long. In addition to WhatsApp Pay and Facebook Pay, Apple also offers a way to transfer money via messenger with Apple Pay Cash. US citizens have been able to use Apple Pay Cash via iMessage since 2017. Unfortunately, the feature has not yet been rolled out in other countries. This means that WhatsApp Pay could also be an interesting alternative for some iPhone users. (Photo by Denys Prykhodov / Bigstockphoto)
