WhatsApp’s plan for Indonesia is to support payments through digital wallets in the region, according to Reuters’ sources. The report further speculates that Facebook’s dealings in Indonesia could become a template that they later use to dodge local regulations, pertaining to bans on foreign digital wallets.
However, the sources reportedly said that Facebook’s deal with the three payments firms will be finalized imminently. The launch of these services is, however, not expected until 2020, since WhatsApp is looking to launch in India at the same time or sooner, per the sources. According to the report, Facebook is still waiting on regulatory approval from India before they can launch WhatsApp-based payments.
Facebook-Owned WhatsApp Looks to Launch Digital Payments in Indonesia, CoinTelegraph, Aug 21