WhatsApp Pay now available in India

WhatsApp Pay has gone live in India. The company has announced that the feature will be available in India. It says with this feature it wants to make it easier to transfer money just like its easy to send messages on the app.

Announcing the new feature, WhatsApp said in a blog, “People across India will be able to send money through WhatsApp. This secure payment 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”.

WhatsApp has designed its payments feature in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) using the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), an India-first, a real-time payment system that enables transactions with over 160 supported banks.

WhatsApp has partnered with five leading banks in India including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. “To send money on WhatsApp in India, it’s necessary to 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,” WhatsApp said.

People can also send money through WhatsApp to anyone who is using an app that supports UPI.

To improve security and privacy on the app, WhatsApp will make users enter UPI Pin for every payment. WhatsApp Payments is available for all iOS and Android users. To get the new feature, users are required to update their apps.