WhatsApp and Paypal invest in ride-hailing firm Gojek

Facebook messaging platform WhatsApp and Paypal Holdings have invested in payment and ride-hailing firm Gojek.
Dollar spending on technologyWhatsApp and Paypal did not disclose the size of the investment or the stakes they would receive.

WhatsApp Chief Operations Officer Matt Idema in a blog post said the messaging platform would work with Gojek to support the growth of small businesses.

Paypal said in a statement that its payment capabilities would be integrated into Gojek’s services.

Reuters reported in April that Facebook was in talks with Gojek about an investment and was working with three e-wallet operators in Indonesia, including Gojek’s GoPay, to launch mobile payment services in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

WhatsApp invested $5.7 billion in the digital arm of India’s Reliance Industries (RIL) last month.

Gojek was founded in 2010 as a ride-hailing firm and has since evolved into a one-stop app through which users can make online payments and order food and services. It is active in four markets and owns an e-wallet startup in the Philippines.

“With Facebook and WhatsApp being dominant social and messaging platforms in Indonesia, this investment cements Gojek’s position as the leading super app for more than 300 million people,” said Hian Goh, partner at Openspace Ventures, which lead Gojek’s series A funding round in 2014.

Indonesia is one of WhatsApp’s five biggest markets, with over 100 million users.

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