WhatsApp to bring an in-chat payment system; likely to be launched by December: Report

tech2 News StaffNov 01, 2017 10:46:06 IST

WhatsApp is likely to bring an in-chat payment system in the messaging app. And it is expected to be launched by December.

WhatsApp app logo. Reuters.

According to a report by Factor Daily, the payment feature is in its final stage of testing the feature. It would be brought into the beta program in November; followed by an official rollout by December.

The Facebook-owned messaging app company has partnered with three banks. And these banks are HDFC, State Bank of India, and ICICI Bank.

The expected WhatsApp payment system would be an in-chat payment system; where the user would be able to see a Rupee symbol. This symbol would be present in the attachment section along with location, contact, and pictures.

As per the report, the user has to enter the amount to be paid as well as their personal identification number. The receiver would get a message about the transaction and seek permission to take the requested amount. Which also means that one can accept or even reject the request.

It must be noted that it would be launched in India. In fact, earlier this year it had received a nod from National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to tie up with banks via a UPI payment system.

Moreover, the report also says that WhatsApp's payment initiative is being led by Neeraj Arora. Interestingly, Arora happens to be on the One97 Communications’ board, which is owned by PayTm.

If WhatsApp's payment system does come into the picture, it can give tough competition to other payment apps like PayTm, MobiKwik, PhonePe, or the recently launched Google Tez.

WhatsApp currently has over 1 billion downloads globally.

Prior to this WeChat is known to bring this feature. It is known as WeChat Pay in China.

The messaging app was recently in news for its ‘Delete for everyone’ feature where the user can delete messages within seven minutes of sending it. It had been one of the much-awaited features. It can be especially useful for those who mistakenly send messages to the wrong group.