Messaging service WhatsApp on Tuesday said it has built a system in India to store payment-related data locally in the country to comply with data localisation norms that the Reserve Bank of India has listed, PTI reported.
“In response to India’s payments data circular, we have built a system that stores payments-related data locally in India,” an unidentified WhatsApp spokesperson told Mint in an emailed statement. “WhatsApp payments is useful for people in their daily lives and we hope to expand the feature to all of India soon so we can contribute to the country’s financial inclusion goals.”
A Reserve Bank of India circular dated April 6 stipulated that the firm must have its offices and data storage systems in India in order to run a payments service. Asian countries such as China, Japan and Malaysia follow the same rule. The circular had given companies time till October 15 to comply with the mandate.
Besides Google and WhatsApp, Facebook, Visa, American Express, PayPal and Mastercard are also required to store date in the country. While Google has agreed to comply with the directive, it has sought more time from the Centre.
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