Photo credit: Jennie Book / Shutterstock
Ireland- and US-based Stripe has partnered with WhatsApp to enable Singapore businesses to accept direct payments via the messaging platform’s chat function.
The feature supports credit and debit cards as well as real-time payment system PayNow, enabling local customers and businesses to transact without leaving WhatsApp.
The direct payments offering is being introduced to a limited number of businesses initially, with plans for expansion in the coming months. With over 83% of the city-state’s population using WhatsApp, the feature is likely to gain traction in Singapore.
Ecommerce WhatsApp integrations such as this are not completely novel but more common in India, which is home to most of the messaging platform’s users globally. Meta, which owns WhatsApp, collaborated with JioMart to launch an in-app grocery shopping feature.
Stripe recently raised US$6.5 billion at a US$50 billion valuation, which deflated from US$95 billion in 2021. The firm is reportedly seeking an IPO as early as January next year.
See also: 400m Indians use WhatsApp, but will they shop on it?
Note: This article was written with the help of AI. Don’t worry, humans were still involved in producing this story.
Editing by Miguel Cordon and Lorenzo Kyle Subido
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