Facebook launch WhatsApp payments in Brazil

WhatsApp have announced that they are bringing digital payments to WhatsApp users in Brazil. People will be able to send money securely or make a purchase from a local business without leaving their chat.

The over 10 million small and micro businesses are the heartbeat of Brazil’s communities. It’s become second nature to send a zap to a business to get questions answered. Now in addition to viewing a store’s catalogue, customers will be able to send payments for products as well. Making payments simple can help bring more businesses into the digital economy, opening up new opportunities for growth.

In addition, WhatsApp are allowing international remittances as easy as sending a message. Because payments on WhatsApp are enabled by Facebook Pay, in the future, the company says, they want to make it possible for people and businesses to use the same card information across Facebook’s family of apps.

“We have built payments with security in mind and a special six digit PIN or fingerprint will be required to prevent unauthorised transactions,” reads a statement from WhatsApp. “To start, we will support debit or credit cards from Banco do Brasil, Nubank, and Sicredi on the Visa and Mastercard networks – and we are working with Cielo, the leading payments processor in Brazil. We have built an open model to welcome more partners in the future.”

Sending money or making a purchase on WhatsApp is free for people. Businesses will pay a processing fee to receive customer payments, similar to what they may already pay when accepting a credit card transaction.