WhatsApp to partner with more Indian banks in financial inclusion push

WhatsApp will also expand pilot projects with banking and other partners to cover financial services such as pensions and insurance

Facebook Inc's WhatsApp plans to team up with more Indian lenders to expand banking services in rural areas and for lower income individuals, the messaging platform's country head said on Wednesday.

WhatsApp, which counts India as its biggest market with 400 million users, has already tied up with banks including ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank, allowing them to communicate with customers via automated text messages on its business service.

"We now want to open up with more banks over this coming year to help simplify and expand banking services, especially to the rural and lower-income segments," Abhijit Bose, WhatsApp's India