Facebook is still working with regulators in India to launch Whatsapp Pay, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the Q2 earnings call on Thursday, while adding that the company plans to expand commerce on Whatsapp to more countries following its partnership with Jio in India.

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Facebook said it closed its investment in Jio Platforms in July and paid approximately $5.8 billion in cash.

"There is a huge opportunity in India to enable small businesses and individuals to buy and sell on Whatsapp. That starts with enabling payments," Zuckerberg said.

"A big part of a partnership with Jio is to get thousands of Kiranas onboard onto Whatsapp to do commerce. Once we prove that out with Jio in India, we’re planning on expanding it to more folks in India and to other countries as well," he said.

Zuckerberg said India is the largest country by the size of Facebook's community.

"India should be one of the fastest-growing business opportunities as well to help businesses grow there, and we’re very excited about that," he added.

On status of Whatsapp Pay in India and Brazil, Zuckerberg said conversations with regulators are still on.

"We are working with regulators and are optimistic we can move forward but it is taking longer than what we would ideally like," the Facebook founder said.

Whatsapp Pay had launched in Brazil in June but was suspended within a week, with regulators city ng the need for more analysis by the monetary authority.

In India, WhatsApp Pay has been rolled out to about 1 million people in its testing phase. The company is awaiting regulatory approval.

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First Published:Jul 31, 2020 9:42 AM IST