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WhatsApp Pay is set to include in-app bill payments and prepaid recharges.
WhatsApp Pay has been operational in India but saw a slow uptake since NPCI had put caps on it. Now that the caps are off, WhatsApp is ready to launch bill payments and mobile recharges within its UPI service.
An APK teardown of the app reveals that users in India will be able to pay electricity, water, gas, and rent bills from within the app soon. With 500+ million users, WhatsApp can change the digital payment landscape of the country.
What is WhatsApp Billing Touch? WhatsApp explains.
WhatsApp Pay is based on UPI and does P2P and merchant transactions. Now a new update will include a separate category for bill payments, which means users can pay for:
- Electricity
- Water
- LPG gas bookings and payments
- Prepaid and postpaid mobile recharges
- Rent for landline phone line
This will work on the same lines as other UPI-based payment apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm, where users will link their bank accounts. Not sure if WhatsApp Pay will allow credit card payments, though.
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Why the Act is Big for WhatsApp and Meta
For Indians, WhatsApp is just a messaging app, but for millions, it is one of the biggest communication platforms. With this, Meta is creating a whole bunch of one-stop platforms for messaging, business communication, and digital payments.
Within the WhatsApp ecosystem, you can pay bills and delete many apps for such tasks. These engagements will free up time on the app and signal acceptance of other WhatsApp services.
This is part of Meta’s plan to monetize WhatsApp outside of advertising, which has been a challenge for the company in India.
Challenges WhatsApp May Face in the Indian Market
While the logic of WhatsApp paying bills makes sense, the platform will have to contend with the challenges below:
1. Regulatory and Compliance Issues
WhatsApp has faced many issues with complete regulatory clearance in India. Even after NPCI approval, more will be required for other financial services.
2. Competition from Professional Heavyweights
Most markets are dominated by PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm, so the digital payments space in India is already crowded. Converting people from other apps to WhatsApp Pay will be tough.
3. Safety and Privacy Issues
Financial transactions are intense processes that require high security. WhatsApp has been criticized for its data-sharing policies, which may further impact the trust WhatsApp Pay builds with its users.
Although WhatsApp has not announced the launch date yet, according to the APK file deconstruction, beta testing can start anytime. After that, the rollout to all users will happen pending approvals from regulatory bodies and user feedback.
Can WhatsApp Succeed in India’s Digital Payment Market?
WhatsApp has 500 million users, and it’s a huge opportunity. But achieving that is not going to be easy. The digital payment space is already crowded with many techies who have some amount of consumer trust built in.
Retraining the consumer to use WhatsApp Pay that bill payment will come down to usability, security, and offers; otherwise, the digital payments glacier will be disrupted in India.
So, note that WhatsApp has come up with an interface that will soon be the talk of the town for one of their biggest features so far.