WhatsApp to let users pay businesses with credit card, other UPI apps in India

To complete a purchase directly in the chat, Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday announced a new feature in India that will allow WhatsApp users to pay businesses using a variety of payment options, including all supported UPI apps, debit and credit cards, and more.

The company partnered with online payment solutions provider PayU and Bengaluru-based Razorpay to add support for payments via credit and debit cards, net banking and all UPI apps in India.

"Starting today, people in India can add items to their cart and send a payment using the method of their choice from all supported UPI apps, debit and credit cards, and more," Meta said. The company first introduced the payments service in Brazil and Singapore.

"This is going to make it even easier for people to pay Indian businesses within a WhatsApp chat using whatever method they prefer," Zuckerberg said. Along with this feature, Meta CEO also announced some other features for users in India.

Meta launched 'Flows' so businesses can offer more experiences like quickly choosing a train seat, ordering a meal or booking an appointment -- all without leaving the chat.

"With 'Flows', businesses will be able to provide rich menus and customisable forms that support different needs," the company explained. The company will make 'Flows' available to businesses globally using the WhatsApp Business Platform in the coming weeks. Moreover, the tech giant will be bringing Meta Verified to businesses using WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.

"We've been hearing from a lot of businesses that they're very eager to build more credibility and get greater visibility. So I'm excited to start rolling out Meta Verified in the coming months. “We're going to continue to evolve what's included in the toolkit to make sure that we're bringing the best value to businesses," Zuckerberg announced.

To become Meta Verified, businesses will need to demonstrate their authenticity to Meta and in return they will receive a verified badge, enhanced account support, impersonation protection, and additional features that will help people find them more easily.

For WhatsApp, this includes premium features like a custom web page and increased multi-device support. The company will begin testing Meta Verified soon with small businesses using the WhatsApp Business app before introducing it to businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform in the future, Meta stated.

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