After a long wait, today Brazil becomes the first country to release payments via WhatsApp, a function that allows users to transfer money within the application between family, friends or any contact, as well as pay businesses with the same ease with the one that sends a photo.

The payment option on WhatsApp will be gradually available in the coming weeks. First, it will be possible to use debit or credit cards from Banco do Brasil, Nubank and Sicredi in the Visa and Mastercard networks, working with the payment processor Cielo, but it is an open model to include more companies in the future.

WhatsApp payments are enabled by Facebook Pay so that, in the future, people and companies can use the same card information in the entire family of Facebook applications. Transfers and payments are protected by various layers of security, such as the Facebook Pay PIN or biometric data on compatible devices.

For his part, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that Brazil is the first country where payments are expanding on WhatsApp and that more countries will come soon. “We make sending and receiving money as easy as sharing photos. We are also allowing small companies to make sales directly from WhatsApp, "he said.

How does Facebook Pay work on WhatsApp? Person-to-person transfers can be made with compatible debit or combination cards, but not with credit cards. Up to 20 transactions can be received per day, with a limit of 5,000 reais per month. Both debit and credit cards can be used to make unlimited payments to companies. Only transactions within Brazil and in local currency will be authorized, in addition to that no fees will be charged to consumers for making transfers or purchases.

By linking an existing Cielo account or creating a new one and enabling Facebook Pay, small and medium-sized businesses using the WhatsApp Business app can request and receive unlimited credit or debit payments, offer refunds, and get support every day. Merchants pay a flat 3.99 percent commission fee per transaction.