WhatsApp Users in India Will Now be Able to Send Money through Chats

WhatsApp has announced that its users will now be able to send and receive money through the platform. The Facebook-owned platform says that this “secure” payment experience makes transferring money just as easy as sending a message. The payment feature has been designed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) using the Unified Payment Interface (UPI).

The real-time payment system UPI allows transactions with over 160 supported banks. Those who wish to send money on WhatsApp should have a bank account and debit card in India. “WhatsApp sends instructions to banks, also known as payment service providers, that initiate the transfer of money via UPI between sender and receiver bank accounts,” said the company in its official blog. WhatsApp has tied with five leading blogs for this feature namely:

• ICICI Bank
• HDFC Bank
• Axis Bank
• The State Bank of India
• Jio Payments Bank

The payments system is secure and has been designed with a strong set of security and privacy principles, says the platform. Users will have to enter a UPI PIN for each payment that they make on the platform. “We’re excited to join India’s campaign to increase the ease and use of digital payments, which is helping expand financial inclusion in India,” adds the company in the blog while stating that this feature will also allow users who had no access to financial services before to take part in the digital economy of India.