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Meta has unveiled a significant expansion of its WhatsApp Business App, allowing small enterprises to accept payments directly within the platform.
Announced at the company’s second business summit in Mumbai, the initiative underlines Meta’s ambition to transform WhatsApp into a central hub for commerce as well as communication.
Meta expands WhatsApp in-app payments
The new feature enables merchants to generate QR codes in a single tap and receive payments instantly from customers using their preferred method.
By embedding payments into the familiar messaging interface, Meta is targeting a long-standing challenge for micro and small businesses: how to convert conversational engagement into seamless transactions.
The timing reflects broader trends in consumer behaviour.
Research has shown that when friction occurs at checkout—whether because a credit card is unavailable or because preferred payment methods are not offered—customers frequently abandon purchases altogether.
For smaller merchants, losing a sale at this critical juncture can be disproportionately damaging. By integrating payments directly into WhatsApp, Meta aims to reduce abandonment risk while increasing revenue certainty for merchants.
The payments rollout is part of a wider suite of tools designed to extend the flexibility of WhatsApp for businesses.
Meta is now allowing companies to operate both the WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) simultaneously with a single phone number.
This dual-track approach means firms can manage scaled customer support or automated campaigns through the API, while still using the app for everyday interactions such as calls and group chats.
Further enhancements include in-app calling options, with larger businesses now able to receive voice or video enquiries from customers.
This development is paired with Meta’s investment in Business AI, which can provide automated yet conversational support within calls—an early step towards more sophisticated AI-assisted commerce.
By embedding payments, customer service and advertising into the WhatsApp ecosystem, Meta is seeking to transform the messaging app from a communications utility into an end-to-end commercial environment.
For small businesses—where margins are tight and digital infrastructure adoption uneven—the ability to transact and market within the same channel could prove a decisive advantage.
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