Facebook picks London as base for Whatsapp payments push

Facebook has picked London to be the base for its push into payments on its Whatsapp messaging service due to its standing as Europe’s fintech talent capital.

The social media giant highlighted how the capital attracts a multicultural workforce from many of the countries where WhatsApp is most popular, saying it’s the best place to carry out the company’s commitment to monetising the fast-growing platform.

The app, which counts 1.5bn users around the world, will expand its workforce by roughly a quarter through 100 new hires. Most of the software engineers will join its team in London with additional operations staff set to come onboard in Dublin.

Matt Idema, the chief operating officer at WhatsApp told Sky News: "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.

"WhatsApp is a truly global service and these teams will help us provide WhatsApp payments and other great features for our users everywhere.”