WhatsApp has finally received all the required approvals and permissions to expand WhatsApp Pay in India. The news comes at a time when the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced a 30 percent cap on the total volume of UPI transactions for third-party apps from next year.
“Starting today, people across India will be able to send money through WhatsApp. This secure payments experience makes transferring money just as easy as sending a message. People can safely send money to a family member or share the cost of goods from a distance without having to exchange cash in person or going to a local bank,” wrote the company in a blog post.
WhatsApp Pay supports over 160 banks including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. The functionality is baked right into WhatsApp and you can send money to anyone with a supported UPI app.
To start using WhatsApp Pay, tap on the ‘Payment’ button in WhatsApp, or choose ‘Payments’ from the vertical three dots button present in the top-right corner of the home page. The process is similar to setting up any other UPI app and involves linking your bank account as the payment method.
In case you’re out of the loop, WhatsApp started the trial run of its payments service in the country back in February 2018. Since then, the company faced several hurdles and scrutiny from several regulatory bodies including the Reserve Bank of India, Competition Commission of India, and National Payments Corporation of India.
While WhatsApp tested WhatsApp Pay with 1 million users in 2018, NPCI’s statement reveals that the company will expand its UPI user base in a ‘graded manner’ and will start with a total of 20 million users.
WhatsApp Pay is now rolling out through the latest update on Android and iOS. You can start using the feature by updating the app from the link below.
Download WhatsApp (Android, iOS)
