Pay bills, borrow money, manage bookings: Kunal Shah reveals WhatsApp's next priorities

WhatsApp chief Kunal Shah on Tuesday outlined three priorities for the messaging platform: making conversations more expressive, simplifying financial and everyday transactions, and using artificial intelligence to help users complete tasks.

Shah, who took over as WhatsApp's global head in June 2026, said his first four months had been spent understanding what users wanted from the platform, which serves more than three billion people worldwide.

"I think of WhatsApp like a shared language, spoken by 3bn+ people. Sometimes we use words, and sometimes it’s a voice note to a parent, a sticker that ends an argument, or a 'that was a fun dinner' at the end of the night," Shah wrote on X.

"Language is at the heart of everything we as people do. We write letters, tell stories, get things done and make plans for the future. A WhatsApp chat is often where we start."

The former CRED chief said user behaviour would shape the platform's future development.

"I’ve spent the last few months listening and understanding what our users want from us and what I heard is simple: help people stay close to those who matter to them, and get more done on WhatsApp. So that's what we'll build."

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Richer conversations, better voice notes and groups

Shah said WhatsApp would work on making voice notes, groups, stickers and video interactions simpler and more expressive.

He pointed to the scale of voice and sticker usage on the platform, with users sending more than 10 billion voice messages and over four billion stickers every day.

"Sometimes hearing someone's voice, sending a joke, agreeing on a plan or knowing they're safe is the whole point. People send over 10 billion voice messages and over 4 billion stickers on WhatsApp every day," he said.

"As the way people communicate evolves, we will evolve these experiences with them. We'll make voice notes, groups, stickers and video simpler and more expressive, because how people feel close keeps changing."

Paying bills and borrowing money within WhatsApp

The second priority is to make everyday activities as simple as sending a message.

Shah said users often begin tasks in WhatsApp conversations but must move to other applications or services to complete them.

"Too many things start in a chat and end with many more steps somewhere else: paying a bill, borrowing money, staying connected when you travel. Each handoff to another task costs time," he said.

"We're working with financial services and telecom partners so that finishing something feels as easy as starting it."

Shah did not announce specific launch dates or identify the financial services and telecom partners involved.

AI to handle bookings and appointments

Shah also outlined plans to use artificial intelligence to make WhatsApp more useful for everyday tasks.

"Third, we want to make this all more efficient with AI. It should quietly find what you need, get things done and make sure you never miss a booking or an appointment," he said. "The best technology saves you time, so you can get back to the connections that matter."

Shah said privacy and reliability would remain central to WhatsApp as it expanded beyond messaging.

WhatsApp handles more than 100 billion messages and two billion calls every day.

"None of this works without trust. WhatsApp handles over 100 billion messages and 2 billion calls every day. Trust takes years to earn and a moment to lose, and I don't take that lightly," he said.

"Whatever we build, WhatsApp must remain simple, reliable and private. These principles we’ve had for years aren’t changing. Your personal messages and calls stay end-to-end encrypted. This and our quality bar stays the same."

Shah said WhatsApp's wider purpose was to help users spend less time managing digital tasks and more time connecting with people. "What happens inside WhatsApp only matters for what it makes possible outside it: more time together, stronger communities, and fewer barriers between people and the lives they want to live."

Shah succeeded Will Cathcart as WhatsApp's global head in June 2026.