# WhatsApp stirs up India market with push into digital payments (HT Tech) > A full roll-out of WhatsApp Pay could come to all users as early as April. # WhatsApp stirs up India market with push into digital payments ## A full roll-out of WhatsApp Pay could come to all users as early as April. Mar 14 2018, 09:21 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![The well-timed move has riled rivals, who say the Facebook unit hasn’t adhered to security requirements and doesn’t link to other digital wallets.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2018/03/14/Pictures/illustration-whatsapp-app-logo-smartphone-seen-this_5716fa24-273a-11e8-a8dd-98cd3615fcfa.jpg) The well-timed move has riled rivals, who say the Facebook unit hasn’t adhered to security requirements and doesn’t link to other digital wallets. (REUTERS) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By SARITHA RAI AND ANTO ANTONY Just 16 months after demonetisation forever changed the way Indians pay for things, WhatsApp is set to disrupt the market yet again. With more than 200 million Indians already using its messaging, WhatsApp is piloting a payment service that lets them transfer money to each other. The well-timed move has riled rivals, who say the Facebook unit hasn't adhered to security requirements and doesn't link to other digital wallets. At stake is an Indian digital payments market that Credit Suisse Group AG estimates could be worth $1 trillion within five years and has homegrown and global players jostling for dominance. WhatsApp joins Google, Alibaba-backed Paytm, a unit of local e-commerce leader Flipkart and dozens of others already vying for customers as smartphone adoption surges. Mobile payments caught fire at the end of 2016 when the government's demonetization temporarily took 86 percent of all paper currency out of circulation to tackle corruption. Also read click here. WhatsApp Pay opened to rave reviews and the potential impact of its established user base has drawn comparisons with the way WeChat reshaped payments in China when it expanded beyond messaging. "WhatsApp is likely to change the digital payments scenario by cannibalising other wallets' users and adding new converts," said Satish Meena, an analyst at Forrester Inc. "Its base of 200 million users, a daily active usage that's about 20 times higher than Paytm's, and the fact that Indian users spend a lot more time on WhatsApp than even on parent Facebook has huge advantages," said Meena. WhatsApp has become India's most popular app as hundreds of millions get their first smartphone, using the service to exchange greetings, tell jokes and share videos and gossip. Its enormous reach provides a ready-made user base that doesn't require spending money to acquire new customers, a massive advantage over rivals. While it's still in a test phase and available only to a fraction of its Indian users, WhatsApp Pay is compatible with the country's Unified Payments Interface. The UPI is a digital payments system to facilitate real-time transactions, developed by the multi-bank umbrella body National Payments Corp. of India. A full roll-out of WhatsApp Pay could come to all users as early as April, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. WhatsApp and NPCI declined to comment. The reception from rivals has varied from optimism that the overall market will grow to outright hostility at the newcomer. Critics have questioned the speed at which the NPCI permitted the pilot program without ensuring it fulfilled requirements such as a log-in and compatibility with other digital wallets. (Bloomberg) ![image caption](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-245-140.png) (Bloomberg) Angry Tweets "WhatsApp Pay could create a systemic shock, this could be another 'demon' moment for people-to-people payments," Sameer Nigam, founder and CEO of PhonePe, the payments unit of Flipkart Online Services Pvt., said using a local term for demonetization. "This doesn't mean they'll kill everyone, this'll help add the next 100 million mobile payment users." One of the most outspoken critics has been Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm Payments Bank Pvt. His startup has been one of the biggest winners from demonetisation and Sharma fired off a barrage of angry tweets, claiming that WhatsApp had bypassed security requirements and that Facebook was trying to create a walled payments garden. The resistance of rivals stems in part from how China's mobile payments market has been drastically reshaped. Once dominant Alipay has seen its market share slump since WeChat integrated its payments system with messaging in 2013. WeChat now has 40 percent of mobile transactions, Credit Suisse said, citing data from iResearch. Early Kinks WhatsApp can expect to get a boost from users like Vyshali Sagar, a consultant based in Hyderabad who's already an avid user of the messaging platform. She quickly got familiar with the payments feature, taking to it on the day it was released and linking her bank account. She quickly started using it to pay the neighborhood chaiwallah, or tea seller, send money to family members and split dinner bills with colleagues. She still uses Paytm to book movie tickets and pay for cab rides and occasionally Google's Tez as well. While others have added chat to their payments functions, Sagar is unimpressed. "Payments flow easily within the chat making it simple to drop money to friends or acquaintances in the midst of your conversations," said Sagar, who noted that the early version still had kinks to work out. "When I delete user chats, the payments history disappears too and I'm left to figure out where the money went." Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 14 Mar, 09:21 IST 71,589,384,964,265 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/whatsapp-stirs-up-india-market-with-push-into-digital-payments-story-KCTHYBaTk6Oyt6TTuUsNwN.html