The Indian-focused messaging app, Hike, has launched its own in-app payment feature, Hike Pay. This release means that it has beaten WhatsApp to release a mobile payment feature in India, a market which WhatsApp dominates. Users will be able to use peer-to-peer payments, as well as bank-to-bank payments using the Indian government-backed UPI payment system. The technology in the feature is based on WeChat's payment system, with Hike CEO saying that it has “drawn some inspiration from our friends in China”. He also added that the company's goal was to “lay the foundations for years to come, with a heavy focus on social payments”.
