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  "description": "CRED founder Kunal Shah is WhatsApp's new CEO, and Meta just put $900 million into his startup. Here's why Meta wants a payments founder running the app.",
  "path": "/whatsapp-ceo-kunal-shah/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-23T12:25:38.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.techloy.com",
  "tags": [
    "WhatsApp",
    "Meta",
    "Google Pay",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "Meta's decision to appoint CRED founder Kunal Shah as the new head of WhatsApp came alongside its $900 million investment in the Indian fintech company, immediately raising questions about what the social media giant is trying to achieve.\n\nThe company hasn't publicly linked the two moves. But the timing suggests Meta sees Shah as an important part of WhatsApp's next phase of growth, particularly in payments, commerce, and financial services.\n\n## Why is Kunal Shah taking over WhatsApp?\n\nMeta hasn't provided a detailed explanation for Shah's appointment. But his track record offers some clues.\n\nFor years, Meta has tried to turn WhatsApp into more than a messaging platform. While the app has become indispensable for communication in markets such as India, its payments business has struggled to achieve the same level of success.\n\nWhatsApp has more than 500 million users in India, its largest market. Yet WhatsApp Pay accounts for only about 0.65% of UPI transactions, while rivals PhonePe and Google Pay control nearly 80% of the market.\n\nShah has spent much of the past decade building products around payments, credit, lending, and consumer finance. If Meta wants WhatsApp to play a bigger role in commerce and financial services, his experience could prove valuable.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Why Meta Chose Kunal Shah to Lead WhatsApp and What It Means for Payments",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-23T12:25:39.071Z"
}