WhatsApp integrates Novi digital wallet in pilot testing

As part of a pilot program, WhatsApp will allow cryptocurrency payments within the messenger for a limited group of users in the United States. The Novi digital wallet, which is also owned by Meta, has been integrated with the app.

There’s a new way to try the @Novi digital wallet. Starting today, a limited number of people in the US will be able to send and receive money using Novi on @WhatsApp, making sending money to family and friends as easy as sending a message. 💸💬 pic.twitter.com/dGz3lejri7

— Stephane Kasriel (@skasriel) December 8, 2021

There’s a new way to try the Novi digital wallet. Starting today, a limited number of users in the United States will be able to send and receive money using Novi via WhatsApp. Now sending money to family and friends is as easy as sending a message,

wrote the future head of Meta’s payments division Stephane Kasriel.

According to Novi’s site, the integration entails commission-free transactions in Pax Dollar (USDP) inside the messenger. The company has not set any limits on the frequency or volume of payments. There are also no fees for withdrawing to a bank card.

In August 2021, the the digital wallet was ready for launch. It later emerged that the Bitcoin exchange Coinbase will serve as custodian partner in the pilot testing.

In October, a group of US senators urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to immediately halt the Novi pilot and commit not to bring the Diem stablecoin to market.

Earlier in December, Marcus said he would leave the company by the end of the year. He will be replaced by Kasriel, who previously led Upwork.

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