Novi, the payments and remittance initiative of Meta (previously Facebook), launched a Whatsapp pilot program for U.S. customers. A small group of Whatsapp customers in the U.S. will now be able send and receive money, purchase digital dollars from the service’s interface, and make payments. This program is an extension to the original pilot that was launched six weeks ago and focuses on remittances.
Novi extends pilot program with Whatsapp integration
Novi, the Meta wallet service, launched an extension to its six-week old pilot program. The new phase integrates with Whatsapp, one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Select users from the U.S. now have the ability to send and buy digital dollars together with others who are also participating in this test.
Stephane Kasriel (the new Novi head) made the announcement. He also detailed the next phase of the pilot programme on Twitter. Kasriel addressed the issue of Whatsapp. explained:
Novi allows people to send money securely and instantly to their loved ones. Payments will appear directly in people’s chat.
Novi’s vision of the future in payments is evident with this announcement. The company plans to add a wallet to every smartphone equipped with Whatsapp. Novi also had a pilot that allowed users to send money from the U.S.A to Guatemala prior to this announcement.
Facebook had announced that its currency would now be USDP, or paxos dollars. This was due to regulatory issues the company faced when launching its currency. This new stage of the testing will leverage USDP in payments, according to an interface displayed on Novi Whatsapp.
Kasriel suggested that the feature could be extended to countries after the company has evaluated the performance of the software as well as the responses from its users.
The most welcome gift for a parting gift
David Marcus, who was the lead for Novi and has managed the project since 2018, referred to this new development as a “farewell gift.” The executive statedOn Twitter:
This is another small step forward. Today, we’re starting the rollout of the @novi wallet in @WhatsApp in the US. This is the most touching farewell gift ever from the greatest team!
Marcus announced his exit from the project last month noting he’d be pursuing new projects. The project has faced criticism from regulators ever since it was first announced. This could provide some relief.
What are your thoughts about Novi’s Whatsapp rollout and Novi? Comment below.
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