WhatsApp is stepping up its game by diving into the world of international payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a move that promises to bridge the gap between local and global transactions.
What Happened: Following the footsteps of giants like Google Pay and PhonePe, WhatsApp aims to simplify international payments for its vast user base, enabling them to transact across borders with the same ease as local UPI payments.
This development was recently spotted by a keen-eyed user on X, @AssembleDebug, hinting at WhatsApp’s ambitions to expand its financial toolkit.
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Per the screenshots shared by the user, WhatsApp users might soon see a fresh option in their UPI settings labelled “International UPI payments.” Tapping into this feature, the app will inquire if users wish to activate international payments and set a timeframe — up to three months — for executing transactions to businesses in specified countries.
Although still in the pipeline, this feature highlights WhatsApp’s intent to make financial interactions as borderless as the conversations on its platform.
For those eager to test these waters early, joining WhatsApp’s beta testing could be your ticket in. In the meantime, for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) looking to leverage UPI's international potential, recent guidelines from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) now permit NRIs in ten countries to use their international mobile numbers for UPI transactions, connecting them to their Non-Resident External (NRE) or Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) accounts.
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