The advance of technology seems unstoppable. Therefore, the trend towards the integration of more and more tasks of our daily lives on our cell phones, is gaining force in the western world. After having been a real success in asian countries such as China. What you see clearly with the new feature of sending money through WhatsApp in Brazil. Leading us to wonder if the next step of WhatsApp is to send Bitcoin through the application.
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From China to Latin America: the advance of apps for messaging
It has finally happened. After years of waiting and months of speculation, WhatsApp has announced the launch of the feature of sending money through the app. Starting in one of the emerging markets most growth in recent years in the western world: Brazil.
So, as it appears in the video of the launch of the new feature of the application. The citizens of Brazil who have accounts in one of the banks associated with WhatsApp in this company. Will be able to send payments without even leaving the app, the same way they would send a file attachment, simply by using your account Facebook Pay.
Of course, this is not a function totally innovative on the part of WhatsApp. Well, the same exists for already several years in the asian market, and more specifically in China. Where two giants of the Internet, Alibaba and Tencent compete to win chinese users, most of which have been rejected credit and debit cards to make payments. Relying on your location in WeChat and AliPay.
In this way, WhatsApp seems to follow in the footsteps of WeChat, an instant messaging application in china, developed by the company Tencent. Which since its launch has developed a multitude of different functions to simply the sending of messages. To include reservations for flights and restaurants, passing by the scheduling of medical appointments, to the delivery of money, all without leaving the application.
What is your next step of WhatsApp to not be left behind of WeChat is to send Bitcoin?
What will be Bitcoin in the plans of WhatsApp?
Before a competition so formidable to WhatsApp, it is clear the need for the instant messaging application of Facebook, find a way to differentiate itself from WeChat. Transforming a product that, in principle, it seems to be a replica of the success of WeChat in China, in the Latin american market.
And it is here where Bitcoin can play a fundamental role. Since, as has been demonstrated by the attempt on the part of Facebook to dabble in technology, Blockchain, through its own virtual currency, the Pound. The american company is not oblivious to the existence of the crypto market. But, on the contrary, I will admit its advantages over the fiat money traditional.
If, therefore, we can expect that in the near future, the possibility of sending payments by WhatsApp to expand beyond Brazil. And reach all the markets in which the application has presence, with support for a multitude of currencies fiat. We can also realistically expect Facebook to include Bitcoin between the currencies used within the platform.
This would open the doors for the entry to the crypto world of millions of users of WhatsApp. That would see with better eyes the use of Bitcoin, if the process is as simple as sending a message through the application. What would Bitcoin (and own Pound of Facebook if it is finally launched), in a better position to compete with fiat money around the world.