The facebook-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp is all set to launch its payment facility in India. Whatsapp met all the conditions of the RBI and National Payments Corporation of India and waiting for the final nod to launch the payment service. The company is looking for recruiting the country’s payment head before its official launch.
A job advertisement was published on the WhatsApp website last week and it says that The individual will lead the company’s operations in India, including products for people and businesses along with our interest in peer to peer payments. This development comes at a time when the messaging app is all set to launch the money transfer service using Unified Payment Interference, which allows the customers to initiate intra-bank transfers. WhatsApp is trying to find a candidate with over 15 years of experience in product-driven companies and over 5 years of experience with payment technologies in India.
Whatsapp has been faced criticism from its rival firm Paytm. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder of Paytm questioned the data privacy and security risk involved in the Whatsapp payment facility. He said that the company is not in compliance with the guidelines. However, WhatsApp defended itself, saying that every single message is end-to-end encrypted and only very less amount of data they collect.
WhatsApp has over one billion users globally and they have 200 million monthly active users in India as of February 2017. India is the largest market place for the company so that the senior leadership position that needs product experience as well as a good track record of success leading partnerships and business development in India. This leader will need to build a close partnership with product and engineering teams to influence the direction and to effectively represent WhatsApp’s long term strategy.
India’s operation officer has to report to the WhatsApp’s chief operating officer in California. Besides, WhatsApp is also looking for a communications manager in India, who can create and implement a long-term communications strategy for India to support the brand as well as the growth of the app amongst consumers and businesses.
