Businesses in Singapore can now accept payments from customers directly from their WhatsApp chat, as part of a new partnership between the messaging platform and payments infrastructure provider, Stripe.
The new feature is built on Stripe Connect and Stripe Checkout, and means Singapore customers and businesses can buy and sell directly in WhatsApp without having to go to a website, open another app, or pay in person.
Supported payment methods include credit and debit cards, and PayNow, a popular real-time payment system in Singapore.
“Starting today, people in Singapore can pay their local merchants on WhatsApp in just a few taps. This seamless and secure experience will transform the way people and businesses in Singapore connect on WhatsApp,” said Stephane Kasriel, head of fintech at Meta.
Sarita Singh, regional head and managing director for Southeast Asia at Stripe, added: “Most people I know in Singapore use WhatsApp to chat with each other. Now, they can pay local businesses using the app as well. The speed and convenience of payments through WhatsApp will help businesses expand their revenue streams with new channels and access a wider customer base.”
The popularity of WhatsApp payments continues to grow internationally, most recently in Brazil where the central bank authorized the launch of the payments feature
In Singapore, the option to enable payments on WhatsApp has been made available to local businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform, which includes a Stripe account. The feature is currently available to a small number of Singapore-based businesses but will be expanded in the coming months.
