WhatsApp has announced its plan to allow users to make payments through rival services and other platforms using India's UPI (Unified Payments Interface) instant money transfer system directly within the app. Currently, when using WhatsApp for shopping, users have the option to make payments through popular services like Google Pay (Alphabet Inc), Paytm, and PhonePe (Walmart), but they are redirected outside of the WhatsApp platform to complete the transaction. By natively supporting all UPI apps and cards, WhatsApp will expand the range of commerce solutions available to both customers and businesses.

While delivering a virtual address in Mumbai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged India's leadership in adopting messaging as the preferred method for completing tasks as he introduced WhatsApp flows for tailored interaction and WhatsApp enhanced payment service to empower businesses using WhatsApp.

It is clear that Meta aims to prioritise business messaging as a key driver of the company's sales growth. This strategic agenda has become more urgent as Meta's core ads business and metaverse project face increasing challenges. With over 500 million WhatsApp users in India, the South Asian market represents Meta's largest global presence. Thus, by streamlining payment processes, it aims to enhance commerce offerings in WhatsApp's largest market.