WhatsApp falls under scanner of India watchdog over antitrust allegations

WhatsApp has been testing its WhatsApp Pay payments service hurdle in India since 2018, but regulatory hurdles and compliance issues have ...

WhatsApp has been testing its WhatsApp Pay payments service hurdle in India since 2018, but regulatory hurdles and compliance issues have so far prevented a wider launch. Now, in another setback, India’s antitrust watchdog is looking into a complaint against WhatsApp alleging abuse of its dominant market position.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is reviewing a complaint that says WhatsApp Pay will allow the Facebook-owned messaging platform to abuse its dominant market position and that the company was forcing its payments service on users. In case you’re not familiar, WhatsApp Pay is a bundled service that allows users to make payments by using WhatsApp’s chat feature.

However, the review process is still in its early stages and a final decision is yet to be made, reports Reuters. India is WhatsApp’s largest market where it has over 400 million users. So, launching its payments service will instantly give WhatsApp an edge over rivals such as Google Pay and SoftBank-backed Paytm, two of the most popular digital payment platforms in India.

Source: Reuters

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