WhatsApp said to be in talks to launch mobile payments in Indonesia

Service expansion: Silhouettes of laptop and mobile device users are seen next to a screen projection of Whatsapp logo in this picture illustration. Indonesia could become the second country worldwide where WhatsApp introduces mobile digital payment services. — Reuters

JAKARTA: Facebook Inc’s messaging service WhatsApp is in talks with multiple Indonesian digital payment firms to offer their mobile transaction services, in a bid to tap the nation’s fast growing e-commerce sector, sources said.

Indonesia could become the second country worldwide where WhatsApp introduces such services, as it awaits regulatory approval from India, its biggest market by users, that has been delayed due to local data storage rules. But unlike in India where it plans to offer direct peer-to-peer payment services, WhatsApp will simply serve as a platform in Indonesia supporting payments via local digital wallets due to tough licensing regulations, the sources told Reuters.