WhatsApp begins a limited test of Meta's Novi digital wallet in the US, letting users send and receive USDP within a chat
Today, WhatsApp is finally announcing a small pilot program to some people in the US, that can finally use the Novi digital wallet within WhatsApp!
WABetaInfo
Context & Ripple Effects
WhatsApp had already explored peer-to-peer payments in India through a limited early payments test and QR-code support in its Android beta. Meta then tested Novi in the US and Guatemala with Paxos Dollar, creating the wallet layer that WhatsApp is now bringing into the chat interface.
The significance is distribution: Novi moves from a standalone wallet pilot to a feature available where WhatsApp users already communicate. Meta's later in-chat payments for Indian businesses shows the broader direction of making payments native to WhatsApp conversations.
First-order effects
Selected US WhatsApp users can use Novi to send and receive USDP without leaving a chat, while Meta gets direct usage data on a chat-embedded wallet.
Novi gains a new distribution surface inside WhatsApp; USDP becomes the payment asset used in that limited integration.
Second-order effects
Meta can compare demand for a wallet accessed through conversations with its earlier Novi pilot in the US and Guatemala, shaping whether subsequent payment features are built around the wallet or the messaging interface.
WhatsApp's payment efforts become more segmented by market and use case: the US pilot uses USDP and Novi, while its earlier India work centered on person-to-person payment testing.
Third-order effects
If chat-integrated wallet use expands beyond the pilot, WhatsApp could increasingly serve as Meta's transaction interface rather than solely a communications product, with the wallet operating as the underlying payment layer.
The pattern points to payment capabilities being embedded in messaging products market by market, rather than launched as one uniform global service.
The trend: Meta is testing payments as an in-chat utility, pairing WhatsApp's conversational reach with wallet infrastructure tailored to specific markets and payment rails.
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. 💸💬 https://twitter.com/...
New in the US: use your @Novi digital wallet to send and receive money right within a @WhatsApp chat. People use WA to coordinate sending money to loved ones, and now Novi will help them do that securely, instantly and with no fees. https://twitter.com/...
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! https://twitter.com/...
I'm imagining a meeting where somebody's like “Hey, can we delay this announcement until like a couple hours after the hearing” https://twitter.com/...
So, Novi is trying to eat Venmo's lunch now. And thanks to existing WhatsApp adoption, I believe they have great chances of succeeding. At last they're doing things that actually make sense, albeit somewhat terrifying given Facebook's reputation and strong network effects. https:…
WhatsApp is now officially testing crypto payments via the Novi wallet. Eventually every messaging app realizes you can now move money instantly and inexpensively, just like you can communicate instantly and inexpensively.
Governments were terrified that Facebook/Meta would dominate payments by creating a stablecoin to add to its messaging services. So now it's outsourcing the stablecoin to do the same thing. Without the shared governance of its original Libra proposal. Is this better? https://twit…