Rakuten Viber will soon allow users in Serbia to send and request money directly through its messaging application, making transfers almost as simple as sending a chat message.
The service is expected to become available within 30 days and is being developed in cooperation with the National Bank of Serbia and payments company Paytm.
Users will open a chatbot in Viber, select a recipient and enter the amount they want to transfer. They will then be redirected to their mobile banking application to confirm the payment.
The transaction will be processed by the user’s bank, while the Paychat service will connect Viber with the banking application.
Viber said the service will not store users’ funds or have access to PINs, passwords or one-time banking codes. Payment confirmation will remain within the bank’s application.
The system was initially developed for Serbia but could later expand to other regional markets. There is no official confirmation on whether or when it will become available in North Macedonia.
Viber already offers a separate service, Viber Pay, in several European countries, but North Macedonia is not currently included.