TL;DR
- WhatsApp is now trialing Novi payments platform integration in the US.
- The feature will initially be available to a “limited number” of users.
- Novi allows WhatsApp users to send and receive cash from contacts within the app.
WhatsApp users in the US are gaining a new payments service available within the app. Novi’s head Stephan Kasriel confirmed that a “limited number” of users in the country can now send and receive money using Meta’s payments platform on WhatsApp (h/t XDA).
Notably, Novi integration in the US comes after a concerted mobile payments push from WhatsApp initially focused on India.
Novi allows WhatsApp users to send and receive cash to other contacts in the app with no additional fees. Users are also free to transfer money as often as they want, while no account holding fees apply. However, if you don’t have a Novi account, you must create one. The platform currently uses Pax Dollars, which is effectively a cryptocurrency pegged to the actual US dollar’s value. This should make it easier for users to transfer equivalent dollar amounts.
As mentioned above, not every WhatsApp user in the US can use Novi right now but you will need to upgrade to the latest version to find out if the feature is available. Those with the feature can select the Payment icon after tapping the paperclip icon in chats to initiate a transfer.
