WhatsApp Pay is finally available in India. The company announced on Friday that the feature will be available in India starting today. WhatsApp in its blog mentioned that it wants to make transferring money as easy as messaging on the app. India currently has many payment apps including Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay among others.
Announcing the new feature, WhatsApp said in a blog post: “From today, people across India will be able to send money via WhatsApp. This secure payment experience makes transferring money as easy as sending a message. People can securely send money to a family member or split the cost of goods remotely without having to exchange money in person or visit a local bank.
WhatsApp has designed its payment feature in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a first in India, a real-time payment system that enables transactions with more than 160 banks supported.
WhatsApp has partnered with five major Indian banks including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, State Bank of India and Jio Payments Bank. “To send money on WhatsApp to India, it is necessary to have a bank account and a debit card in India. WhatsApp sends instructions to banks, also known as payment service providers, who initiate the transfer of money through UPI between the sender’s and recipient’s bank accounts,” WhatsApp said. People can also send money via WhatsApp to anyone using an app that supports UPI.
“Long term, we believe that the combination of WhatsApp and UPI’s unique architecture can help local organizations address some of the key challenges of our time, including increasing rural participation in the digital economy and the provision of financial services to those who have never had access to them before. ”, reads the WhatsApp blog.
In an effort to improve app security and privacy, WhatsApp will require users to enter the UPI PIN for each payment. The company said “payments are designed with a strong set of security and privacy principles.” WhatsApp Payments is available for all iOS and Android users. To get the new feature, users need to update their apps.
WhatsApp recently rolled out a new disappearing message feature for users around the world. When you enable disappearing messages on WhatsApp, new messages sent to a chat will disappear after seven days. “We’re starting with seven days because we think it provides peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent while still being convenient so you don’t forget what you were talking about. The shopping list or store address that you received a few days ago be there when you need it, then disappear when you don’t,” WhatsApp said.
