Following news that Apple is looking to expand Apple Pay to allow person-to-person payments, sources who have discussed the program with Apple said iMessage could end up being the method the company will use to facilitate those transfers, Quartz reports. The messaging client is one of the most-used apps installed on the iPhone by default and is especially popular with the demographic currently making the most use of person-to-person payments.
People with knowledge of the Apple program said the company finds using iMessage and partnering directly with banks particularly beneficial since the move would let Apple avoid obtaining the money transfer licenses that companies like PayPal, Venmo and Facebook already have. There’s also plenty of precedent for the successful pairing of messaging and payments, with messaging apps already a popular means of making payments and money transfers in Asia, and Facebook reportedly attempting to add payment capabilities to its Messenger app for its U.S.
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