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<ul><li><keyword id="8506093" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jiomart" source="Orion">JioMart</keyword> has announced a partnership with social media giant Meta.</li><li>As part of this partnership, users will be able to shop on JioMart using <keyword id="790242" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp" source="Orion">WhatsApp</keyword>.</li><li>Here’s how you can use WhatsApp to place an order on JioMart.</li></ul>Reliance Industries held its 45th annual general meeting yesterday and one of the major announcements was the partnership between JioMart and Meta. As part of this, users will be able to shop on the e-commerce platform JioMart using WhatsApp. Users will be able to use WhatsApp to place an order on the JioMart by browsing catalogues and viewing the live prices. “Excited to launch our partnership with JioMart in India. This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp -- people can now buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat. Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come,” Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer, Meta said in a Facebook post. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to place an order on JioMart using WhatsApp" comment="subhead" text="How to place an order on JioMart using WhatsApp">How to place an order on JioMart using WhatsApp</cmsannotation> Here’s how you can place an order on JioMart using WhatsApp. <div type="image" title="JioMart" msid="93871323" hostid="261" sizebytes="53132" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;You can now easily place a JioMart order using WhatsApp&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>To begin, you need to save JioMart’s number +917977079770 on your phone or click on this <a href="https://wa.me/c/917977079770">link</a>. </li><li>Now, send “Hi” to this number. </li><li>Then, click on “Get Started”. </li><li>Now, click on “View catalog”. </li></ul><div type="image" title="2" msid="93871331" hostid="261" sizebytes="56684" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Products on JioMart&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>You can now browse through various categories of products such as fruits and vegetables, staples, branded foods and more. </li></ul><div type="image" title="3" msid="93871353" hostid="261" sizebytes="59124" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Placing a JioMart order on WhatsApp&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Click on the plus sign next to a product to add it to your cart. </li><li>Once you have added all the required products, click on “SEND TO BUSINESS”. </li><li>Now, click on “Provide address”. </li></ul><div type="image" title="4" msid="93871371" hostid="261" sizebytes="42964" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Address and payment options&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Then, select the address where you want the products to be delivered and click on “Send address”. </li><li>Then, click on “Confirm” to confirm your address. </li><li>If you wish to change your address, click on “Add/Change Address”. </li><li>Now, you need to pay for your products. </li><li>You can choose from cash on delivery, pay on JioMart and pay on WhatsApp. </li></ul>Once you have completed the payment, the order will be confirmed, and you will receive it as scheduled. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-is-reportedly-working-on-a-dual-screen-phone-with-a-transparent-display/articleshow/93849845.cms">Samsung is reportedly working on a dual screen phone with a transparent display</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/gautam-adani-is-now-the-third-richest-person-in-the-world-as-per-bloomberg/articleshow/93868294.cms">Gautam Adani is now the third richest person in the world, only behind Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-set-to-launch-true-5g-services-this-2022-diwali/articleshow/93854727.cms">Jio set to launch True 5G services across major Indian cities this Diwali</a>

How to use JioMart on WhatsApp

<ul><li>Facebook has bought 9.9% in Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion. </li><li>The bigger reason for the buy-in is how <keyword id="4878801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-pay">WhatsApp Pay</keyword> and Reliance Retail can use this partnership to help each other out. </li><li>The payments platform can use Reliance’s massive network of offline stores to monetise its data, while Reliance can use the ‘household’ name to finally yield success with a seamless payments system. </li></ul>Everyone is excited about the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio in hope that it will result in a new ‘super app’ for India. However, the partnership between Facebook and Reliance Jio has a few more layers than what is visible at first glance. The secret sauce to this deal is the potential for Facebook’s payment solutions — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-payments-launching-in-india-against-paytm-google-pay-phone-pe-for-1-trillion-opporunity/articleshow/70376672.cms">WhatsApp Pay</a>. And, this is the reason why <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/heres-why-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-is-paying-top-dollar-for-a-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio/articleshow/75286331.cms">paying top dollar for a stake</a> in <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>’s Reliance Jio. “Our goal is to enable new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for the more than 60 million small businesses across India,” said Facebook’s chief revenue officer, David Fisher, and the VP and managing director of India, Ajit Mohan in a <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/04/facebook-invests-in-jio/">post.</a> Zuckerberg’s social network has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/facebook-picks-up-10-stake-in-jio-platform-for-rs-43574-cr/articleshow/75283937.cms">bought a 9.9% stake</a> in Reliance’s telecom venture for $5.7 billion. However, the second richest man in India — Mukesh Ambani — also owns the country’s biggest retail chain, Reliance Retail. It will now be a force of power to ensure that WhatsApp Pay has a chance of success in the Indian market despite being such a late entrant. “PayTM, PhonePe and other players will be impacted. They don’t have as much e-commerce as these guys will have. That will make a big difference,” Vikram Sud, an independent director at DBS told Business Insider. Retaining employment at brick-and-mortar stores rather than wipe it out “This is an amazing partnership on the payments side. Whatsapp Pay did not have the commercial sides of it as Whatsapp was trying to creep into the business. Now, between Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook — all the commerce can be done through Whatsapp Pay,” said Sud. Jio’s plan to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambani-owned-reliance-retail-revenue-estimate-from-kirana-stores/articleshow/71643159.cms">pull all kirana stores</a> and combine it with this payment mechanism will be a massive competition to Amazon and all other e-commerce players. You will get delivery from local stores while also helping them retain their employment unlike the advent of Amazon and Walmart, who have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/if-were-living-through-a-retail-apocalypse-why-are-e-commerce-leaders-like-amazon-alibaba-and-jd-com-so-focused-on-building-brick-and-mortar-stores/articleshow/70849067.cms">chipping away</a> at the brick-and-mortar business. “By bringing together JioMart, Jio’s small business initiative, with the power of WhatsApp, we can enable people to connect with businesses, shop and ultimately purchase products in a seamless mobile experience,” said Facebook. And that’s the play that global IT giant is primarily aiming for, according to a senior industry analyst. They weren’t able to monetise it but that doesn’t change the fact that they're sitting on a huge pile of data. This is something they will now be able to leverage and monetise by using Jio Mart's reach. It’s a win-win situation for Ambani and Zuckerberg “In my mind, Whatsapp Pay and Jio money will all hopefully get rolled into one. It will just make it quicker since there is nobody in India that doesn't have WhatsApp,” said Sud. WhatsApp has been testing its payments platform in India since 2018. It was only available to a million users under a partnership with ICICI Bank. However, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-spyware-hack-raises-security-concerns-around-its-upcoming-payments-service/articleshow/71888781.cms">concern for policymakers</a> was whether not it will be responsible to allow a social messaging app — known for being a vehicle of fake news or what’s more commonly called the ‘WhatsApp University’ — to also integrate payments into its platform. In February this year, two years after the company’s first trial, WhatsApp finally got the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-whatsapp-pay-global-rollout-zuckerberg/articleshow/73760554.cms">approval </a>to roll out its digital payment service in a phased manner. In the first phase, it will offer its payment services to 10 million users in the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/mukesh-ambanis-reliance-industries-stock-gets-a-50000-crore-facebook-boost/articleshow/75285485.cms">Facebook’s investment in Reliance Jio boosts RIL share value by ₹50,000 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/heres-why-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-is-paying-top-dollar-for-a-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio/articleshow/75286331.cms">Here's why Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is paying top dollar for a stake in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio</a>

WhatsApp is the secret sauce in the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio

Ordering groceries, vegetables and daily essentials is just a WhatsApp away as billionaire <keyword id="3820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mukesh-ambani" source="Orion">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>'s e-commerce platform <keyword id="8506093" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jiomart" source="Orion">JioMart</keyword> taps into the popular messaging app to scale up online business in its fight for dominance in the giant Indian retail market with Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. <keyword id="10924" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ambani" source="Orion">Ambani</keyword>'s twin children, Akash and Isha gave a preview of the ordering at Meta's second edition of the Fuel for India event on Wednesday. A new 'tap and chat' option allows users to order groceries through WhatsApp. Delivery is free and there is no minimum order value. Customer can fill their shopping carts within the app and pay either via JioMart or in cash on delivery. "The JioMart experience through WhatsApp is actually, very simply put - 'conversational' in nature. WhatsApp is extremely simple and easy to use; So there's no customer inhibition when ordering for supplies," said Akash. It's extremely intuitive - so there are no barriers to technology. "And digital shopping is now just an extension of messaging via WhatsApp to JioMart, it's all taken care of in a couple of steps effortlessly." Isha said all a customer needs to do is just order away on JioMart. "Bread, butter, vegetables, beverages, everything that you need in your household that day or that week... look up a product, set up a subscription for a regular buy if that's what you want, or get personalized recommendations based on your past purchase history, it's all there," she said. Facebook, now known as Meta, in April last year invested $5.7 billion for a 9.99 per cent in <keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword> Platforms, the digital and telecom arm of Ambani's <keyword id="105301" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries-ltd-" source="Orion">Reliance Industries Ltd.</keyword> The partnership was aimed at connecting over 400 million WhatsApp users and half a million retailers that Reliance has on its network. And playing a catalyst is cheap data that 425 million subscribers of <keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword> get. The orders are executed using the network of <keyword id="58448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-retail" source="Orion">Reliance Retail</keyword>, the biggest brick-and-mortar store chain. Also, repaid users of Reliance Jio can recharge using WhatsApp. "As Jio and Meta teams work closely, we are opening more and more avenues of working together. One such avenue is Jio on WhatsApp, which is simplifying the entire 'prepaid recharge'," Akash said. This, he said, will bring consumers convenience like they've never had before. "Yes, it makes it very simple for anybody to adopt. For example, for older citizens who at times may find it difficult to head outside, this Jio recharge feature through WhatsApp is so helpful! And payments on WhatsApp adds to that ease!" Isha said. Akash said it is really exciting how the end-to-end experience for Recharge through WhatsApp along with the ability to make payments can potentially make the lives of millions of Jio subscribers much more convenient. JioMart delivers from fruits and vegetables to cereal, toothpaste and cooking staples like panner and chickpea flour ordered through WhatsApp. Food and groceries account for nearly half of India's retail spending, which is projected to reach as much as $1.3 trillion by 2025, according to Boston Consulting Group. Interconnected to the entire scheme is Jio's low-priced smartphone that it is offering in association with Google. The phone comes preloaded with the JioMart and WhatsApp apps. Last year, Google invested $4.5 billion for a 7.73 per cent stake in Jio Platforms Ltd. "We believe that small businesses are the bedrock of our country's economic backbone. The pandemic really brought home the truth that small merchant shops, retailers, and small businesses urgently needed to convert their physical brick and mortar stores to digital storefronts," Isha said. The partnership with Meta allowed to quickly leverage the strength of the WhatsApp platform that provides access to over 400 million people. "With an equal number of Jio subscribers it seemed like a natural progression for us to be able to support these businesses not only through a digital connection with their customers online, but also to quickly develop and build very specific digital-commerce solutions," she said. Akash said JioMart currently has over half a million retailers and is growing every day. "We were very clear that the JioMart's unmatched network - both in online and offline retail should be leveraged optimally, given the size of the opportunity." "We continue to be so excited about our partnership with Meta and in collaboration with the WhatsApp team, we intend to build out native features that will not only help users shop seamlessly on WhatsApp but will also help retailers increase stock assortments, improve margins and get them closer to perhaps a larger base of customers, like never before. "They will be able to get new orders in addition to keeping their relationships with their regular user base intact," he added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-working-on-prototypes-of-foldable-devices-but-may-see-one-only-in-2024/articleshow/88298981.cms">Apple working on prototypes of foldable devices, but may see one only in 2024</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/india-makes-a-10-billion-bet-to-woo-chip-makers-at-home/articleshow/88298295.cms">India makes a $10 billion bet to woo chip makers at home</a>

JioMart taps WhatsApp to deliver groceries, vegetables

<ul><li>WhatsApp finally received the approval to operate <keyword id="3679109" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="UPI-payments">UPI payments</keyword> from the National Payments Council of India.</li><li>WhatsApp’s payments feature has been rolled out in ten Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp. </li><li><keyword id="4878801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-pay">WhatsApp Pay</keyword>’s entry in payments also comes with a major blow to two of its biggest competitors – <keyword id="2750705" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Pay">Google Pay</keyword> and <keyword id="6357886" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="phonepe">PhonePe</keyword> as NPCI has doled out a 30% cap for third party payment operators.</li><li>Amidst all of this, a beneficiary from WhatsApp Pay’s entry would be Mukesh Ambani’s JioMart.</li></ul>After a long wait, WhatsApp finally received the approval to operate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments from the National Payments Council of India (NPCI). With this, WhatsApp Pay is set to roll out initially with a cap of 20 million users, to make payments ‘as easy as sending a message’. A day after securing the approval, WhatsApp is launching the payments feature in ten Indian regional languages. WhatsApp’s UPI entry begins with a partnership with five banks – ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. “With UPI, India has created something truly special and is opening up a world of opportunities for micro and small businesses that are the backbone of the Indian economy. India is the first country to do anything like this. I’m glad we were able to support this effort and work together to help achieve a more digital India,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a statement. But WhatsApp Pay’s entry in payments that was touted to be a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/google-pay-has-a-solid-lead-over-phonepe-paytm-and-amazon-pay-in-india-but-its-biggest-challenge-is-yet-to-come/articleshow/76542701.cms">death card</a> for many others has been accompanied by a major blow to two of its biggest competitors – Google Pay and Walmart-owned PhonePe. NPCI setback for Google Pay, Phone Pe According to the NPCI’s official statement, <keyword id="4052276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="UPI-transactions">UPI transactions</keyword> on third party payment apps cannot exceed 30% of the overall volume of transactions processed in UPI during the preceding three months. Both Google Pay and PhonePe which are third-party apps will be hit as they currently together hold 40% market share in the UPI segment which has recently crossed the 2 billion transaction count. <div type="image" title="UPI transactions final." msid="79076877" hostid="261"></div> " Digital payments in India is still in its infancy and any interventions at this point should be made with a view to accelerate consumer choice and innovation. A choice based and open model is key to drive this momentum. This announcement has come as a surprise and has implications for hundreds of millions of users who use UPI for their daily payments and could impact the further adoption of UPI and the end goal of financial inclusion," said Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head, Google Pay and Next Billion User initiatives, India on the NPCI cap issue. UPI transactions on PhonePe and Google Pay in October 2020 <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PhonePe </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">835 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Google Pay </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">820 million </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/whatsapp-pay-gets-green-light-to-go-live-on-upi/articleshow/79066734.cms">media reports</a> While the cap will be effective from January 1, 2021, existing third party operators like Google Pay and PhonePe have been given until 2022 to comply with the new rules. UPI’s growth in India and its interoperability has left behind other players who focussed on mobile payments alone. “PPI’s (pre-paid instruments like mobile wallets) which were once expected to scale up rapidly in the retail digital payments industry have clearly not achieved the success that they were expected to achieve. While there could be several explanations for this, one of the main reasons we believe is due to strong competition from UPI,” said a report by JM Financial from September 2020. However, players like Paytm which isn’t a big shareholder in UPI, won’t be affected by the new capping as it is a PSP (Payment service provider). WhatsApp Pay’s potential India is the first country where Facebook had begun its tryst with payments back in 2018 when WhatsApp began beta testing payments in the country. Since then, the company had met with several regulatory hurdles relating to data localisation, which was followed by a promise of storing data locally and WhatsApp Pay submitting revised data localization compliance this year. However, even while it hadn’t officially rolled out, experts have been betting on its popularity because of its existing 400 million user base in India. Analysts at Bernstein (from a June 2020 report) expected WhatsApp Pay’s penetration to increase to 30% (from the current 10%) by FY25. Abhijit Bose, WhatsApp India head, had also shared plans for the company’s foray into financial services in India in July 2020. WhatsApp will soon be driving its financial inclusion push in India with its foray into lending, micro-insurance, and micro-pension products. WhatsApp is currently running pilot programs for the same. “Based on the results, we will co-invest and scale. Even a small conversion of the demand will translate into an infusion of significant savings into the financial system,” <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/22/whatsapp-to-pilot-projects-to-deliver-credit-insurance-and-pension-to-users-in-india/">said Bose</a> then. JioMart – the silent winner Amidst all of this, a beneficiary from WhatsApp Pay’s entry would be India’s richest man’s e-commerce bet – Mukesh Ambani’s JioMart. “Payments remains the missing link, the tie up could be a potential game changer with WhatsApp Pay integration with JioMart,” said the report by Bernstein. WhatsApp Pay’s UPI approval and potential tie-up with JioMart after Facebook pumped $5.7 billion in Reliance earlier this year, will see JioMart gain by offering easy ordering and payment facility to its users through WhatsApp. “RIL’s foray into the space leveraging its large ofﬂine distribution capabilities, and integration of ability to order groceries through WhatsApp, a platform with &gt;400 mn MAUs in India,” said a Goldman Sachs report. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/whatsapp-pay-upi-services-gets-the-green-signal-from-npci-but-rollout-will-be-in-a-graded-manner/articleshow/79068908.cms">WhatsApp Pay UPI services gets the green signal from NPCI, but rollout will be in a 'graded' manner</a>

WhatsApp Pay UPI is now live while Google Pay, PhonePe have already got the first sting

<ul><li><keyword id="4878801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-pay">WhatsApp Pay</keyword> has partnered with four major banks in India – State Bank of India, <keyword id="6653" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICICI-bank">ICICI Bank</keyword>, <keyword id="6357149" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hdfc-bank">HDFC Bank</keyword> and <keyword id="6355975" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="axis-bank">Axis Bank</keyword>. </li><li>WhatsApp Pay finally received the approval to operate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments from the National Payments Council of India (NPCI) in November 2020.</li><li>However, it initially has a limit of 20 million users. </li></ul> Facebook-led payments service WhatsApp Pay has partnered with four major banks in India – State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank to strengthen its UPI offering. “UPI is a transformative service and we jointly have the opportunity to bring the benefits of our digital economy and financial inclusion to a large number of users who have not had full access to them before,” said Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp, India in a statement. WhatsApp continued to stress on making payments “as easy as sending a message”. WhatsApp Pay finally received the approval to operate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments from the National Payments Council of India (NPCI) in November 2020. However, it initially has a limit of 20 million users. India is the first country where Facebook had begun its tryst with payments back in 2018 when WhatsApp began beta testing payments in the country. Since then, the company had met with several regulatory hurdles relating to data localisation, which was followed by a promise of storing data locally and WhatsApp Pay submitting revised data localization compliance this year. At the Facebook Fuel For India 2020 summit, Facebook founder <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-and-reliance-industries-mukesh-ambani-spoke-but-had-no-chemistry/articleshow/79739547.cms">Mark Zuckerberg </a>also pushed for WhatsApp Pay’s growth in India. “We just launched <keyword id="4685737" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp-payments">WhatsApp payments</keyword> in India last month – now you can send money to your friends and family through WhatsApp, as easily as sending a message. That was possible because of the UPI system that has been built in India,” said Zuckerberg during a chat with Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-and-reliance-industries-mukesh-ambani-spoke-but-had-no-chemistry/articleshow/79739547.cms">Zuckerberg spoke to Ambani but there was no chemistry — even with a multi-million dollar partnership between them</a>

WhatsApp Pay strengthens its UPI offering —  ties up with SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank

New Delhi, Apr 27 () Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has started limited test use of WhatsApp to connect customers to grocery stores, days after Facebook decided to invest USD 5.7 billion in digital assets controlled by the company. JioMart, an e-commerce venture of Reliance Retail, "has already started interacting with customers on WhatsApp for grocery orders" in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan, Credit Suisse said in a report. "The customer initiates the interaction on WhatsApp, checks out the grocery order on JioMart webpage, gets connected with a retail store on WhatsApp and then customer picks up the order from Kirana and pays in cash," it said, adding the model is likely on delivery and completion of the transaction on one app. The Facebook deal will help Ambani set up a digital platform to take on Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart in an e-commerce market that KPMG says is likely to grow to USD 200 billion by 2027. The deal benefits Facebook via "partnership with the largest retail player in India, where partnership starts with grocery, and later could be extended to medicine distribution, fashion and lifestyle stores, food delivery, etc," Credit Suisse said in a report. Also, Reliance Jio, with its 388 million telecom users, could provide telecom infrastructure for various Facebook's solutions, it said. For RIL, the large user base of WhatsApp (400 million) could significantly accelerate the adoption of the JioMart app besides it would leverage Facebook's experience to monetize data through advertising. "The key advantage is not only the large base of WhatsApp users in India but the amount of time spent on the app per day by an average user. "This would catapult Jio into the attention of the large user base, thereby addressing the first key barrier of awareness post-launch of its New Commerce offering," Credit Suisse said adding this was based on assumption that at some stage, JioMart could be a mini-app within WhatsApp (a concept similar to WeChat mini-programmes) which would avoid new 400 million downloads of JioMart and give JioMart immediate access to 400 million users of WhatsApp for grocery. It is likely that the partnership could be extended beyond grocery to other retail products too. "Deal cash flow would help RIL bring down overall net debt and help to move towards its target of achieving zero net debt by March 2021," it added. J P Morgan in a separate report said it believes that initially WhatsApp would be integrating a 'Jio Shopping bot' on the API, and allow users to add the bot to their contacts. Once added, users can search for a local business, see available products in a catalogue, and purchase the product in the thread or in the shop. The Facebook deal should help accelerate Jio's ability to further evolve into a full-stack player across India's e-commerce ecosystem, it said. The acquisition of a 9.99 per cent stake in Jio Platforms Ltd for USD 5.7 billion represents the second-largest investment of Facebook to date (the largest was USD 19 billion WhatsApp acquisition in February 2014). This corresponds to a quarter's worth of free cash flows for the firm. "Nevertheless, it still represents a significant step for Facebook as this may strengthen its evolving business model in commerce," Credit Suisse said. ANZ MR

Reliance starts using WhatsApp for grocery deliveries but model to evolve

<ul><li>WhatsApp is reportedly working on an instant credit feature. Its latest regulatory filing states that providing credit is one of its main business objectives.</li><li>This comes at a time when instant loans have become popular with companies like Amazon, Paytm and others have started offering these services.</li><li>WhatsApp’s massive user base in India gives it a great platform to launch revenue-generating services like digital loans.</li></ul>WhatsApp loans could be the next big feature for the popular messaging service. With India being one of the biggest markets for WhatsApp and instant loans gaining popularity, WhatsApp loans have the potential to take off. In a filing with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs accessed by <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/28/whatsapp-eyes-credit-feature-for-users-in-india/">TechCrunch</a>, WhatsApp has listed ‘providing credits or loans’ as one of its main business objectives to be pursued in India. WhatsApp’s parent company <keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> recently entered into a partnership with <keyword id="6354504" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-jio">Reliance Jio</keyword>, acquiring a stake of 9.9% in a $5.7 billion deal. Subsequently, the Mukesh Ambani-owned company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/how-to-order-groceries-from-jiomart-using-whatsapp/articleshow/75403670.cms">launched JioMart service on WhatsApp</a>, allowing users to order groceries and other essentials from the messaging app. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75283937" title="Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook picks up 9.9% stake in Mukesh Ambani's Jio for $5.7 billion" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> “In my mind, Whatsapp Pay and Jio money will all hopefully get rolled into one. It will just make it quicker since there is nobody in India that doesn't have WhatsApp,” Vikram Sud, an independent director at DBS <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-is-the-secret-sauce-in-the-deal-between-facebook-and-reliance-jio/articleshow/75296172.cms">told</a> Business Insider. WhatsApp’s existing payments service, WhatsApp Pay, is yet to take off after more than two years of testing. Regulatory hurdles have played spoilsport in this regard, but WhatsApp has reportedly reached out to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) stating that it will ensure compliance with the local data protection laws by May. In January, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-whatsapp-pay-global-rollout-zuckerberg/articleshow/73760554.cms">Mark Zuckerberg said</a> that WhatsApp Pay will roll out in India within six months. Joining the dots, it seems plausible that it could launch by May. “This is an amazing partnership on the payments side. Whatsapp Pay did not have the commercial sides of it as Whatsapp was trying to creep into the business. Now, between Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook — all the commerce can be done through Whatsapp Pay,” said Sud. Amazon Pay Later makes an entry in India Amazon has also launched its credit service called Pay Later. It allows users to purchase products on Amazon, pay utility bills, do recharges and more. Users can make the payment in the next month at no extra cost. The Amazon Pay Later feature is not available on products like gold, jewellery, Amazon Pay balance top-up and Amazon Pay gift cards. How will WhatsApp loans work? It is not clear as to how WhatsApp plans to offer loans and to which users. However, looking at other companies like Amazon, Paytm, or PayU which offers LazyPay, WhatsApp could offer a fixed credit limit to its users based on certain criteria. Users who avail WhatsApp credit could then be required to repay the amount due in a certain time period. For reference, services like LazyPay Pay Later allow you to make payments once in every 15 days, essentially giving you 15 days of interest-free loan. Paytm Postpaid works on a monthly basis – your credit bill is generated on the first of every month and you are given 7 days’ time to repay. For example, if you avail the credit facility on May 1, you will have to repay by June 7, giving you 36 days of interest-free credit. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/facebook-picks-up-10-stake-in-jio-platform-for-rs-43574-cr/articleshow/75283937.cms">Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook picks up 9.9% stake in Mukesh Ambani's Jio for $5.7 billion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-whatsapp-pay-global-rollout-zuckerberg/articleshow/73760554.cms">WhatsApp Pay to roll out in India and other countries over the next six months: Zuckerberg</a>

WhatsApp has reportedly listed giving loans as a ‘main’ objective—  and it could be a big feature in Facebook and Reliance Jio’s partnership

<ul><li>Facebook top advertisers have been pulling money away and the company is hoping that Jio and Novi will come to its rescue. </li><li>The job openings at the social network have dipped by 50% over the last six months, but Facebook continues to hire at senior level positions within its financial services. </li><li>GlobalData analysts believe this because Facebook is looking to strengthen its advertising platform to ensure revenue going forward. </li></ul>The Facebook boycott came to an end and barely managed to register on the social networking behemoth’s balance sheet. However, Facebook has its eye on the ball and is betting on its recent investment in <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>’s Reliance and digital wallet Novi — formerly known as Calibri — to continue bringing in ad revenue. The number of job openings at Facebook that used to pop up were down by nearly 50% at the end of July. GlobalData job analytics database estimates that there were about 1,102 job postings in January but only 551 in July. Even though the overall number of jobs at Facebook dipped, prominent openings were spotted for senior-level positions at the company within payments, e-commerce and advertising. “Though it has not yet had a big impact on the company's earnings, Facebook seems to be concerned that more companies will join the bandwagon, prompting the social media giant to hire senior personnel in the advertising space,” Autojyoti Bose, the lead analyst at GlobalData said in a statement. Facebook job openings at senior level positions Facebook investment in Jio Platforms is in conjunction with JioMart — an online grocery delivery platform. The deal is seen as a strategic move by Facebook to roll-out its payments platform, WhatsApp Pay, in India where other players have already established themselves like Google, Paytm, and PhonePe. In May, Facebook rebranded Calibra to Novi to distance itself from the bad press around its cryptocurrency project. While Libra will continue to operate independently from the company, Novi is purely a Facebook project. The plan is for Novi’s first product to be a cryptocurrency wallet. While one doesn’t need a Facebook or WhatsApp account in order to sign up for the digital wallet, it will be directly accessible from either app. In addition to Novi and Jio, Facebook Financial is a new division that was created to add payments and financial services to the company’s existing line of products. Researchers at GlobalData believe the underlying reason is the drive commerce and advertising bottom line — bring in more money. Here are some of the positions that Facebook was seen hiring for over the last three months: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Post </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/public-policy-director-novi-at-facebook-1967971811/">Public policy director</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Novi </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/treasury-director-calibra-at-facebook-1832530539">Treasury director</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Calibra </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/director-business-development-calibra-financial-services-at-calibra-1861218098">Director of business development</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Calibra financial services </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/914933279022178/">Director of WhatsApp payments in India</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">WhatsApp </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/745569989344909/">Product marketing director of payments and commerce in the US</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/810262572713932/">Product marketing lead direct of e-commerce marketplace in the US</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://sg.linkedin.com/jobs/view/director-of-payment-partnerships-apac-at-facebook-1801485586">Director of payment partnership for the APAC region</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/revenue-accounting-director-ads-facebook-JV_IC1147371_KO0,31_KE32,40.htm?jl=3580098354">Revenue account director of ads in the US</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/data-engineering-manager-analytics-ads-business-platform-at-facebook-1855914307">Data engineering direct for ads</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/product-management-lead-business-opportunities-at-facebook-1505199517/">Director of advertising onboarding programs and small business group</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/1993138244/?eBP=NotAvailableFromVoyagerAPI&amp;recommendedFlavor=IN_NETWORK&amp;refId=4d53b561-3629-486d-8fbc-5813b92f871b&amp;trk=flagship3_search_srp_jobs">Product Growth Manager - India</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Facebook </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/1975370693/?eBP=JOB_SEARCH_ORGANIC&amp;recommendedFlavor=SCHOOL_RECRUIT&amp;refId=4d53b561-3629-486d-8fbc-5813b92f871b&amp;trk=flagship3_search_srp_jobs">Small Businesses (SMB) Research Manager</a> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Instagram </td></tr></tbody></table> The boycott, called #StopHateForProfit, led to over 1,000 companies pulling their millions from Facebook. Of the social network’s top 20 advertisers, five are keeping their money away. This includes Microsoft, Unilever, Diageo, Coca-Cola and CVS. In 2019, these companies combined spent a total of $237.4 million on ads on Facebook, according to data by Pathmatics. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/the-heat-is-on-mark-zuckerberg-in-india-as-facebook-and-whatsapp-incur-the-ire-of-modis-rivals/articleshow/77575358.cms">The heat is on Mark Zuckerberg in India as Facebook and WhatsApp incur the ire of Modi's rivals</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/its-not-just-tiktok-its-clone-apps-in-india-too-have-a-beeline-of-investors/articleshow/77606019.cms">It's not just TikTok, its clone apps in India too have a beeline of investors</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/it-and-media-employees-are-in-no-hurry-to-get-back-to-office-not-until-there-are-proper-policies-in-place/articleshow/77486082.cms">IT and media employees are in no hurry to get back to office — not until there are proper policies in place</a>

Facebook is hiring senior execs for its digital wallet Novi and its partnership with Jio

<ul><li><keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> will soon introduce multi device support and a shortcut for Messenger Rooms.</li><li>Multi device support will allow users to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices.</li><li>Messenger Rooms will allow users to start a video call on the Facebook Messenger.</li></ul>Popular messaging app WhatsApp is all set to introduce two new features that will make it easier for users to use the same account on different devices and start video calls on Facebook’s Messenger app. The features were spotted by WABetaInfo in two beta versions of the app. Multi device support was spotted on the <a href="https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-beta-for-android-2-20-152-whats-new/">2.20.152</a> version of the app and Messenger Rooms support was spotted on the <a href="https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-web-2-2019-6-whats-new/">2.2019.6</a> version. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75601668" title="WhatsApp is touting steps taken to cut the viral spread of coronavirus misinformation, but experts question whether it's done enough" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Multi device support Multi device support is currently being tested and the company has not revealed when the feature will be available on the stable version of the app. Currently, WhatsApp does not allow users to use the same account on different devices, a feature that has been available for quite some time on Telegram. Telegram allows users to log into a secondary device by sending an OTP to the first device. The multi device support is expected to be named as ‘Linked devices’. It will allow users to log in on a new device by clicking on the ‘Link a new device’ button. As per the report, WhatsApp recommends users to use a Wi-Fi connection while using the WhatsApp account on a secondary device. While it’s not clear why mobile data is not recommended, it’s possible that WhatsApp may copy all the messages and media on the new device. Messenger Rooms As people are stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook recently introduced Messenger Rooms that allow users to quickly place a video call and invite your friends with a link. Now, Facebook is reportedly <a href="https://twitter.com/Facebook/status/1253757982833168385">working</a> on adding a shortcut for Messenger Rooms on WhatsApp. This will allow users to quickly start a video call <a href="https://twitter.com/Facebook/status/1253757986398298114">with up to 8 people</a>. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/how-to/how-to-use-ifcns-whatsapp-fact-checker-to-fight-coronavirus-misinformation/articleshow/75546862.cms">How to use IFCN’s WhatsApp fact checker to fight Coronavirus misinformation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-has-reportedly-listed-giving-loans-as-a-main-objective/articleshow/75445825.cms">WhatsApp has reportedly listed giving loans as a ‘main’ objective— and it could be a big feature in Facebook and Reliance Jio’s partnership</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-whatsapp-pay-global-rollout-zuckerberg/articleshow/73760554.cms">WhatsApp Pay to roll out in India and other countries over the next six months: Zuckerberg</a>

WhatsApp's upcoming feature will allow you to open the messenger in many devices at the same time

New Delhi, Jun 15 () WhatsApp has launched its 'WhatsApp Pay' in Brazil, nearly two years after it began testing the payments service in India. In 2018, the Facebook-owned company had started testing the service in India, which allows users to utilise the messaging platform to send and receive money. However, the ambitious plan has been caught in a bind over regulatory issues. In a Facebook post on Monday, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Brazil is the first country where it is widely rolling out payments in WhatsApp. "Today we're starting to launch payments for people using WhatsApp in Brazil. We're making sending and receiving money as easy as sharing photos," he said, adding that small businesses will also be able to make sales right within WhatsApp. "To do this, we're building on Facebook Pay, which provides a secure and consistent way to make payments across our apps," he said. Zuckerberg said WhatsApp is working with local banks, including Banco do Brasil, Nubank, Sicredi as well as Cielo, the leading payments processor for merchants in Brazil. In a blogpost, WhatsApp said it has built payments with security in mind and a special six digit PIN or fingerprint will be required to prevent unauthorised transactions. "To start, we will support debit or credit cards from Banco do Brasil, Nubank, and Sicredi on the Visa and Mastercard networks -and we are working with Cielo, the leading payments processor in Brazil. We have built an open model to welcome more partners in the future," it added. WhatsApp has about 400 million users in India. It has been testing its payments service in India - based on UPI - with about a million users. While the company was hopeful of rolling out the payments service to a larger userbase last year itself, it has faced regulatory hurdles that has delayed a full-fledged launch in India. Its rivals in the country include Softbank-backed Paytm, Flipkart's PhonePe and Google Pay. Interestingly, Facebook had recently announced USD 5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms. Simultaneously, Jio Platforms, WhatsApp Inc, and Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) have also proposed to enter into a separate commercial arrangement. Under the arrangement, JioMart - a new RRL commerce marketplace which connects customers with Kirana stores and other small and microlocal Indian businesses - plans to integrate certain WhatsApp services with JioMart. SR RS

WhatsApp launches payments service in Brazil

New Delhi, Apr 23 () Facebook Inc's USD 5.7 billion investment in Jio Platforms, subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), will help to monetise the digital platforms of both companies and aid in deleveraging of RIL's balance sheet, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday. Facebook's investment for a 9.99 per cent stake in Jio Platforms is the single-largest FDI in the Indian telecoms and technology sector. Reliance Jio, the wireless market leader with around 390 million subscribers, is a subsidiary of Jio Platforms. At the same time, Reliance Retail, RIL's retail arm, has also partnered with Facebook's WhatsApp to allow RIL's e-commerce business users to use the WhatsApp platform. Fitch said it had in August last year revised the outlook on RIL's 'BBB' rating to 'positive' and may upgrade to 'BBB+' if "net adjusted debt/EBITDA ratio improves to below 1.5x on a sustained basis". "The deal is part of RIL's plan to strengthen its businesses and to achieve a net cash position - through partnerships and supported by organic growth and lowcapex," Fitch said in a statement. "We expect the partnership with Facebook to bolster RIL's consumer business in the medium term." The rating agency said the proceeds from the transaction should help RIL maintain the pace of its deleveraging - counteracting the likely weakness in its refining and petrochemical segment during 2020-21. Fitch expects RIL's oil-to-chemical segment to face volume and margins headwinds due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in line with the industry trend. "We expect the pandemic to weaken demand for refined products and petrochemicals in Asia-Pacific during 2020, with a gradual recovery through 2021 to pre-COVID-19 levels. However, RIL should be less affected than peers, due to the high complexity of its refineries and integrated petrochemical operations with feedstock flexibility," it said. The deal, it said, will allow both Facebook and Jio to monetise their digital platforms, engage customers online, and provide direct connectivity between users and merchants. Usage of digital platforms is likely to grow significantly in the medium-term amid severe disruptions caused by lockdowns and social distancing measures. Increasing reliance on digital platforms might also assist RIL in gaining market share in India's growing e-commerce segment, and soften the impact of lower footfalls in its physical retail stores. "Jiomart, which is a market-place platform and built in partnership with small merchants and 'kirana' (small neighbourhood retail store) shops, will allow users to buy goods and services using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Jio Platforms will focus on introducing digital solutions for 60 million micro, small and medium businesses; 120 million farmers; 30 million merchants; and millions of SMEs in the informal sector," Fitch said. On its part, Facebook is likely to be able to expand its platforms - including Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shopping and Facebook Pay - to help SMEs set up virtual shops on such platforms and sell goods and services. Facebook plans to roll out WhatsApp Payments in India and other countries this year, after having tested this with a million people in India in 2018. WhatsApp Platform, which has started charging businesses, is still offered free to retail users globally, it said. Facebook reported 641 million daily active users (DAU) in APAC in 4Q19, up by 14 per cent year-on-year and now contributing around 39 per cent of overall 1.7 million DAUs. India is the single-largest market with about 330 million monthly users, and also one of the fastest-growing markets for Facebook. WhatsApp's messaging app also has the largest user base in India, with about 400 million users. "We believe internet users in the country will rise to at least 800 million by 2022, up from around 600 million in 2019 as India overtook the US to become the world's second-largest smartphone market after China by unit shipments in 2019. DAUs represented around 66 per cent of 2.5 billion monthly active users in December 2019," Fitch added. ANZ DRRDRR

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How to use JioMart on WhatsApp

Sourabh Jain

WhatsApp is the secret sauce in the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio

Prabhjote Gill

JioMart taps WhatsApp to deliver groceries, vegetables

PTI

WhatsApp Pay UPI is now live while Google Pay, PhonePe have already got the first sting

Sanchita Dash

WhatsApp Pay strengthens its UPI offering — ties up with SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank

BI India Bureau

Reliance starts using WhatsApp for grocery deliveries but model to evolve

PTI

WhatsApp has reportedly listed giving loans as a ‘main’ objective— and it could be a big feature in Facebook and Reliance Jio’s partnership

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