Novi, the digital wallet of Meta (formerly Facebook) is testing its pilot programme for payments on WhatsApp.
This was announced by Meta’s new executive, Stephane Kasriel, and the testing is only available to a select number of users in the US who will be able to send and receive money like sending a message.
Summary
Novi, the test for payments on WhatsApp
Stephen Kasriel, who became an executive at Novi earlier this month, announced on Twitter the new pilot test involving WhatsApp, the world’s most widely used messaging 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 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”.
This means that Meta’s remittance and payments initiative, Novi, is extending its pilot programme, which began six weeks ago, to WhatsApp as well.
Essentially, a small number of US WhatsApp users will be able to send and receive payments, as well as buy digital dollars, directly from the messaging service’s interface.
Novi and WhatsApp, Kasriel: “beginning of the pilot journey”.
In his roundup of tweets, Kasriel explains that this extension of the Novi test on WhatsApp is just “the beginning of the pilot journey”.
The new digital wallet will allow people to coordinate sending money to loved ones securely, instantly and without charge. While payments will appear directly in people’s chat.
After the testing phase with a select number of users in the US, Novi will proceed by listening to feedback on this new experience to see if it is ready for a mainstream launch.
Not only that, Kasriel points out that using Novi does not change the privacy of WhatsApp’s personal messages and calls, which are always end-to-end encrypted.
David Marcus: “this is the best parting gift”
Former Novi executive David Marcus also tweeted about Novi’s new WhatsApp pilot test, describing it, on a personal level, as “the best parting gift from the best team ever”.
Another small step in the right direction. Today, we’re starting the rollout of the @novi wallet in @WhatsApp in the 🇺🇸. On a personal level, this is the best farewell gift from the best team ever! pic.twitter.com/6jk4NO60wv
— David Marcus (@davidmarcus) December 8, 2021
“Another small step in the right direction. Today, we’re starting the rollout of the Novi wallet in WhatsApp in the ????????. On a personal level, this is the best farewell gift from the best team ever!”
Indeed, because exactly 10 days ago, David Marcus, one of the top executives of Meta Platform Inc (formerly Facebook), announced his resignation after 7 years at the company.
Specifically, Marcus was initially in charge of managing the Messenger service, before moving to the company’s Blockchain division in 2018.
It was he who built Novi, with the official launch last October 2021. Not only that, Marcus also co-created Diem (formerly Libra), Facebook’s digital currency, which has yet to be officially launched.
