Today, Mark Zuckerberg announced that people across Brazil can pay local small businesses right within a WhatsApp chat.

This seamless and secure checkout experience will be a game-changer for people and small businesses looking to buy and sell on WhatsApp without having to go to a website, open another app or pay in person. We’re rolling the feature out today to a small number of businesses, and it will be available to many more in the coming months.

On WhatsApp in Brazil, you can search for a business, browse goods and services, add them to your cart and make a payment all with just a few taps.

It’s now possible to pay for goods and services using Mastercard and Visa debit, credit and pre-paid cards issued by the numerous banks participating in the service. Small businesses using the WhatsApp Business app can link a supported payment partner — such as Cielo, Mercado Pago or Rede — and create an order within the app to securely accept payments from their customers.

Just like every feature in WhatsApp, payments are designed to be secure. Card numbers are encrypted and securely stored, and people are required to create a Payment PIN and use it for each payment. We also offer customer support to ensure help is available, if needed.

We’re excited to hear how this service helps people and small businesses in Brazil connect on WhatsApp, and look forward to bringing it to more types of businesses and countries in the future.