Meta's WhatsApp Raises Marketing Message Prices in India

By John Pranay (Editor)

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging platform, has announced plans to introduce local billing for business users in India, a move that aims to simplify operations and reduce costs for Indian startups and enterprises. The change will allow eligible Indian customers to be billed in rupees, enabling payments through domestic channels and improving the predictability of costs. This development comes as WhatsApp is set to raise prices for marketing messages in India, with rates increasing from ₹0.78 per message to ₹0.86, effective January 1, 2026.

The introduction of local billing for WhatsApp business users in India is part of a broader expansion of pricing options for businesses globally. WhatsApp has announced plans to expand pricing to ten more local currencies, taking the total to 16 currencies by the end of 2026. This move aims to help businesses simplify operations across multiple markets. The new currencies include the Mexican peso, UAE dirham, Argentine peso, Chilean peso, Colombian peso, Malaysian ringgit, Peruvian sol, Saudi riyal, Singapore dollar, and Brazilian real. WhatsApp has also made a major change in its pricing model globally, starting to charge per-message rates instead of per-conversation, effective July 1, 2025.

WhatsApp's business model has undergone significant changes in recent years. The platform has grown through a partnership model, where business solution providers (BSPs) acted as messaging aggregators between enterprise customers and the platform. However, with the launch of WhatsApp cloud API last year, large customers can now use the platform directly, eliminating BSP-related costs. This shift may directly challenge WhatsApp's BSP ecosystem, created nearly eight years ago.

The introduction of local billing for WhatsApp business users in India is a significant development that reflects the platform's long-term commitment to India as a core growth market. The move aims to simplify operations and reduce costs for Indian startups and enterprises, which have been dealing with forex mark-ups, currency volatility, and compliance challenges. This change may also accelerate WhatsApp adoption beyond large enterprises, as local billing is likely to improve the predictability of costs and reduce the friction points associated with dollar billing.

As WhatsApp expands its pricing options to more local currencies, the platform is likely to face increased competition from other messaging channels like SMS and RCS. The upcoming changes in WhatsApp's pricing model may also lead to a shift in the value proposition of BSPs, as they will need to rethink their pricing and differentiation strategies. In India, WhatsApp is set to raise prices for marketing messages, which may help control spam on the platform. However, the impact of these changes on the Indian market remains to be seen.

Q: What is local billing for WhatsApp business users?

A: Local billing allows eligible Indian customers to be billed in rupees, enabling payments through domestic channels and improving the predictability of costs.

Q: Why is WhatsApp introducing local billing in India?

A: WhatsApp aims to simplify operations and reduce costs for Indian startups and enterprises, which have been dealing with forex mark-ups, currency volatility, and compliance challenges.

Q: What are the implications of WhatsApp's new pricing model on BSPs?

A: WhatsApp's shift to a direct-to-customer model may challenge the BSP ecosystem, forcing BSPs to rethink their value proposition, pricing, and differentiation strategies.

Our internal tone gauge currently reads: Bullish for this development.

1. WhatsApp to roll out local billing for business users later this year — https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/whatsapp-to-roll-out-local-billing-for-business-users-later-this-year/articleshow/126281296.cms

Methodology: This analysis combines real-time data aggregation from manually selected global sources with advanced AI synthesis, engineered to provide neutral and data-driven insights.