Norwegian-owned startup, OPay is reportedly set to compete with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger with an instant messaging feature — Friends — which allows real-time conversations between users, shared payments, and quick fund transfer within its platform.
According to Ridwan Olalere, OPay’s Senior Director of Operations, “The Friends feature is to foster more communication amongst friends and family who use OPay.”
He said this was necessary to further promote the company’s plan to make OPay a lifestyle app. He added that the feature would be enhanced in the coming months to improve its functionality.
According to reports, OPay now has a first-mover advantage as the only payment app with messaging services on the continent.
The latest development is seen as a move by OPay to target consumers on the platform with a whole range of services and products that will make them stick to the app instead of switching to other platforms.
