WhatsApp has hired a top Amazon executive to head its payments business in India, two sources told Reuters, as the messenger service gears up to expand in the booming sector.
Manesh Mahatme, who has worked at Amazon Pay for nearly seven years, is due to join WhatsApp’s payment service soon, one of the sources said on Friday.
WhatsApp and Amazon Pay were not immediately available for comment. Mahatme declined to comment.
With more than 500 million users, WhatsApp counts India as its biggest market, where it is the newest entrant in India’s digital payments sector, which PwC and Indian industry body Assocham say is set to be worth $135 billion by 2023.
WhatsApp last year received a much-delayed approval for the launch of its payments system in India, but so far its rollout has been capped by regulators at 20 million users. But it has big ambitions and a deal by Facebook last year to invest $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms digital unit, will allow WhatsApp to offer payments services to millions of mom-and-pop stores. PTI
