Tech news sources report that Facebook has chosen London, as the development hub for expanding its messaging platform WhatsApp’s payment dynamics.
The ‘Big-4’ tech giant is reported to have committed to hiring 100 London staff dedicated to building-up Whatsapp’s transactional capacities, moving the popular product beyond its simple instant messaging capabilities.
The Facebook hires will mostly consist of ‘highly skilled’ software engineers, with the London WhatsApp team further supported by Facebook’s Dublin operations HQ.
News of Facebook’s London developments, follow CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg posting an open letter on the social media platform this March, outlining that ‘Facebook will become a privacy-focused company’.
Presenting a new vision of the company, Zuckerberg detailed that Facebook and its subsidiary products – Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Whatsapp would focus on private interactions, end-to-end encryption and product inter-connectivity.
Tech observers will be monitoring the developments of WhatsApp transactional capabilities, as the instant messaging app will likely develop the encryption and security frameworks which will be rolled out across Facebook’s product portfolio.
“We’re eager to work with some of the best technical and operational experts in both London and Dublin to take Whatsapp into its second decade,” said Matthew Idema, WhatsApp’s chief operating officer.
“Whatsapp is a truly global service and these teams will help us provide Whatsapp payments and other great features for our users everywhere.”
