Meta's WhatsApp Business Soars Past 200M Users, Boosts Ad and Payment Capabilities

Meta Platforms, Inc's META WhatsApp Business app, designed specifically for small businesses, has exceeded 200 million monthly active users — up from 50 million in 2020.

Today, WhatsApp Business users can create "click-to-WhatsApp" ads without a Facebook account, TechCrunch reports. 

Sellers can create, purchase, and publish ads for Facebook and Instagram directly from within the app.

WhatsApp Business also adds another paid feature that lets merchants automate sending personalized customer messages.

WhatsApp has also taken steps to boost its payments business on the platform.

Mark Zuckerberg is ramping up revenue generation from other avenues like WhatsApp to offset the impact of splurging billions into developing a metaverse. 

In 2022, during Meta's Q3 earnings call, Zuckerberg mentioned that "click-to-WhatsApp" ads surpassed the annual revenue run rate of $1.5 billion with 80% year-on-year growth.

In the quarter ending in March, Meta said that the WhatsApp Business platform had substantial growth in messaging revenue. Still, it was offset by "a decline in other line items," — resulting in a 5% dip for the category year-over-year.

Price Action: META shares are up by 1.38% at $282.31 premarket on the last check Tuesday.