WhatsApp Approved by Regulators for Business Payments in Brazil

The logo for Facebook Inc. WhatsApp messaging app arranged on a smartphone in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Wednesday Jan. 20, 2021. WhatsApp has delayed the introduction of a new privacy policy announced earlier this month after confusion and user backlash forced the messaging service to better explain what data it collects and how it shares that information with parent company, Facebook Inc. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg News

Mar 2, 2023

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(Bloomberg) -- WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta Platforms Inc., will soon allow users in Brazil to make payments to businesses through the app. 

“The Central Bank just authorized the launch of our new payment feature so people will be able to pay small businesses right on WhatsApp,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted Thursday on Instagram. “Excited to roll this out soon.” 

Regulators had previously halted the feature. Zuckerberg has said that WhatsApp payments could be a big business for Meta, especially in countries like Brazil and India where the app has dominant market share. 

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