At the start of last month, we heard about the upcoming integration of the Novi digital wallet with WhatsApp. Now it seems thata limited number of WhatsApp users in the US will be able to test this integration by sending and receiving money using Novi.
The information comes from a tweet from Stéphane Kasriel, director of Novi, who announced that “There is a new way to try Novi Digital Wallet. As of 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 too. easy as sending a message ».
WhatsApp has been working on this integration for some time, with digital clues appearing in version 2.21.22.6 of the popular app. The pilot program will run without fees or commissions, meaning people won’t have to pay a dime to transfer money.
The first users of this payment method in WhatsApp will be able to carry out as many transactions as they want, Kasriel reiterates.
What is Novi?
Novi is a digital wallet from Facebook (the parent company of WhatsApp) that uses digital currencies (currently the platform works with something called Pax Dollar) to transfer money internationally.
Let’s say you want to send money to your loved ones in Japan. You add 100 dollars to your Novi account and these are automatically converted into Pax Dollar (1 USD = 1 USDP). Then you send the money with just the push of a button – it’s like sending an instant message. Your relatives in Japan will receive the 100 Pax dollars and they will be automatically converted into yen, which will allow them to easily withdraw them.
Novi works with blockchain technology – the latest advancement in secure transactions, so your money will be safe. Blockchain technology has many other advantages, such as speed of transactions and lower costs (compared to wire transfers and other more conventional money transfer methods).
Facebook was hoping to use its own cryptocurrency called Libra (originally it was Calibro, which is expected to become Diem at some point in the future), but the social network encountered unexpected difficulties. Diem was supposed to launch in 2021, but with only a few weeks left we’re probably looking for an official launch within the next year.
Not yet available in France
The pilot program is currently only available in Guatemala and the United States. Meta is working to expand the functionality and availability of the service, and it can be assumed that other countries will be supported soon.
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