WhatsApp, an instant messaging service, will soon start accepting cryptocurrencies for transfers with the integration of the Novi digital wallet. Stephane Kasriel, Novi's new lead, said in a tweet that the new feature will first be available to a limited number of people in the US.
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The company wants first to test how people send and receive money in the form of the USDP stablecoin using Novi on the messenger. Kasriel claims the wallet will not charge any fees for sending or receiving money. Payments will appear directly in people's chat.
"We are still very early in the Novi pilot journey, so we made the decision to test this new entry point in one country to start and will look to extend it once we have heard from people what they think of this new experience," he added.
The Novi lead also assured using the digital wallet will note change the privacy of WhatsApp personal messages and calls. Meta launched pilot testing of Novi earlier in October this year. The wallet initially supports only Pax Dollar (USDP). Eligible users — from Guatemala and select US states — can send & receive (and withdraw in local currency) the stablecoin only within the wallet with no support for the turnover on the Ethereum blockchain.
Users will also have to use government-issued ID to sign up, the announcement says. It remains unclear if Meta plans to keep obligatory verification only for pilot testing.
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