WhatsApp payments background feature: Now add payment backgrounds while sending money

Instant messaging platform WhatsApp on Tuesday introduced a new ‘Payments Backgrounds feature in India on the platform in order to strengthen its payment services offering in the country.
The company released a statement that this feature is built for India and this new feature is relevant, exciting, and memorable as it helps people easily convey a feeling along with sending money.

The payment feature is designed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI). The Whatsapp payment feature is an India-first, real-time payment system that enables transactions with over 227 banks.

Manesh Mahatme, Director of WhatsApp Payments said: “WhatsApp is a safe space where people share their thoughts and feelings with their friends and family. With Payments Backgrounds, our effort is to bring excitement to everyday payments through WhatsApp and enable our users to express themselves if they wish, through a range of emotive themes denoting celebrations, affection, warmth or fun.

This feature is similar to a Google Pay feature where users can choose a background image from a range of photos while transferring money. Users can use this feature, by tapping on an icon on the page where users enter the payment amount.

He also added that “We believe that sending and receiving money is so much more than just a transaction. Often, it’s the stories behind the exchanges that are priceless. We look forward to creating more features and functionalities and continue making payments on WhatsApp an interesting and interactive experience.”

Generally, conversations involving payments are often believed to be simply transactional. WhatsApp has created this thematic range of artful expressions to complement sending payments on birthdays, holidays, or for gifts and travel.

WhatsApp has explained that the core idea of this feature update is to create a more personalised experience for the sender as well as the receiver. The feature adds an element of expression for friends and family while sending money.

“Whether it is friends splitting the bill after a meal, sending money to near and dear ones as a token of your love or gifting your sister on the occasion of Rakshabandhan, payment backgrounds make sending money personal and brings alive the story behind every payment,” the company said.

Whatsapp received approval for payment through the the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in November 2020. However, it was approved for a phased rollout of Whatsapp Pay, starting with only 20 million registered users.