Speaking at Global Fintech Fest 2026, Meta director Shweta Bajpai outlined the company’s ambition to develop programmable payments on WhatsApp. The idea is to draw on payment history, social connections and the purpose of a transaction to make paying simpler and more automatic.

WhatsApp already offers bill splitting, utility payments, UPI Lite and recurring payment arrangements. UPI Lite supports small-value transactions without requiring a PIN. Meta’s next focus is on connecting these existing tools more closely with what people are doing within the messaging app.

For example, a group discussing dinner could find it easier to settle the meal’s bill using the context of that conversation. This illustrates Meta’s proposed direction, rather than a confirmed rollout of a new feature. A launch schedule for the programmable payment capabilities has not been stated.

Meta sees WhatsApp’s everyday use as an opportunity to make it a central place for financial activity. Its aim is to make payments convenient and dependable enough that users return to WhatsApp rather than move to another app. The challenge is linking its large messaging audience with more advanced payment functions.