Meta has appointed Indian fintech entrepreneur Kunal Shah as the new head of WhatsApp, aiming to leverage his expertise in financial technology to monetize the messaging platform’s vast user base. The announcement coincided with Meta leading a $900 million funding round in Shah’s company, CRED, a consumer finance firm. Shah previously founded and sold a payments startup before establishing CRED in 2018, which has expanded beyond credit card rewards to offer wealth management, insurance, and lending. WhatsApp, with over half a billion users in India – its largest market – has struggled to establish a dominant payments service. Meta hopes Shah’s experience will unlock new revenue streams beyond traditional advertising. Both Meta and Shah recognize significant potential for WhatsApp’s future growth and expansion of services. This move signals Meta’s commitment to strengthening its presence in the Indian market and exploring innovative monetization strategies.