By Adedapo Adesanya
WhatsApp users in Brazil can now officially pay small businesses for goods and services from within the Meta-owned messaging app.
The company, in a blog post announced that the payments-to-merchant feature is available now for a “small number of businesses” but will be rolling out more widely in the coming months.
This new development will allow customers to make purchases using Mastercard or Visa credit, debit, or prepaid cards “without having to go to a website, open another app or pay in person.”
“In Brazil, you can search for a business, browse goods and services, add them to your cart, and make a payment, all with just a few taps. We’re excited to finally unlock this ability for people and businesses right within a chat,” the service noted.
“Small businesses using the WhatsApp Business app can link a supported payment partner – such as Cielo, Mercado Pago or Rede – and create an order within the app to securely accept payments from their customers,” it added.
WhatsApp assured that payments are secure, “Card numbers are encrypted and securely stored, and people are required to create a Payment PIN and use it for each payment. We also offer customer support to ensure help is available if needed.”
“We’re excited to hear how this service helps people and small businesses in Brazil connect on WhatsApp, and we look forward to bringing it to more types of businesses and countries in the future,” WhatsApp announced.
The Meta-owned app has rolled out similar payment features in its other major market in India.
WhatsApp originally launched its payments feature back in 2020, only to see the service suspended by the country’s central bank days later over competition concerns.
Peer-to-peer payments eventually returned a year later, but WhatsApp was still struggling to get merchant payments off the ground as of early 2022.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Dipo Olowookere