WhatsApp can accelerate UPI adoption for the next 500 million Indians: Manesh Mahatme

WhatsApp India’s director–payments, says that the next tranche of digital products needs to be more accessible and inclusive for rural and semi-urban populations.

In order to create awareness, and educate users, about making online payments safely, Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp recently launched a campaign, titled ‘Scam Se Bacho’.

WhatsApp's payment service was first launched in November 2020 in India. However, WhatsApp can only roll out Payments on WhatsApp for a hundred million users, as per National Payments Corporation of India's guidelines.

In the month of June, the government reportedly received at least 61,100 digital payments fraud complaints. According to official data, there has been a sharp rise in such scams and the recorded numbers may have been underestimated.

While the Indian digital payments ecosystem is at an inflection point and is expected to increase more than threefold, from the current $3 trillion to $10 trillion by 2026, it also presents a monstrous challenge of frauds.

Sharing the thought behind WhatsApp's latest campaign, Manesh Mahatme, director - payments, WhatsApp India, says that the rise in fraud cases has led the platform to create a safe and secure digital payments ecosystem.

“UPI continues to remain one of the safest, convenient and interoperable modes of making payments. But it is important to drive awareness amongst people on how they can safeguard themselves against any frauds or scams, while making digital payments,” shares Mahatme.

In its ‘Scams Se Bacho’ campaign, WhatsApp has used a parody rendition of a catchy Bollywood song, ‘Dekh Ke Chalo’, to deliver the social message. The ad shows several real-world scenarios that people face in their daily lives. Showing these real-life situations, where individuals could be susceptible to scams, reinforces the message of exercising caution, while making digital payments.

Mahatme mentions that the goal of the campaign is to educate and empower every Indian who makes digital payments. “Especially, those who are new to the world of digital payments and may need such reminders from time to time. WhatsApp wanted to spread awareness and engage with the audience in a sensitive way, rather than resort to advertising."

As per him, “Our goal of reworking a fun nostalgic song was to use the power of music to convey a strong message that will help people relate to the moments that we collectively face in our lives. We also wanted to highlight the safety tools that people have at their fingertips, while using payments on WhatsApp.”

The music video is live on WhatsApp’s YouTube and Facebook channels. Law enforcement authorities from Assam and Ranchi have also shared the video via their social media handles.

While WhatsApp has become an indispensable part of how people communicate these days, it is primarily seen as a messaging app, not a payments app.

Speaking about the challenge to establish WhatsApp in a segment that is dominated by players like Paytm and Google Pay, Mahatme says “We have a long-term view of India. It is still early days for digital payments in the country. We look forward to contributing meaningfully to adding new users to India’s digital payments ecosystem, as well as serving existing users who are already well engaged on WhatsApp.”

He points out that India is currently heading towards a digital revolution. But the rural and semi-urban populations, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid, still remain untouched by the benefits of a digital transformation.

“The next tranche of digital products, needs to be more accessible and inclusive. We believe that’s where payments on WhatsApp can make a significant positive impact,” adds Mahatme.

The ease of use and simplicity takes away user inhibition towards technology. It is often the first digital gateway for many Indians. Mahatme believes that WhatsApp can be a game changer - to accelerate UPI adoption for the next 500 million Indians.

The platform is designed with a strong set of security and privacy principles that include entering a personal UPI PIN for each payment. WhatsApp doesn’t receive, transfer or store any funds. Money is transferred directly from bank to bank.

Sharing a few future plans of WhatsApp payments, Mahatme states, “With our thoughtful modifications and constant investments in research and development, we want to make the payments offering more robust and intuitive. We have planned significant investments in ‘payments on WhatsApp’ across India, including focussing on creating awareness and driving adoption among users.”