Rakuten Viber’s Chief Executive Officer, Ofir Eyal, has announced that the messaging app will roll out new features and upgrades to become a fuller, all-in-one multi-purpose application.
Beyond its usual messaging and calling services, Viber is aiming to bring new fintech (technology-based financial services) features into the app.
Viber is working to roll out an in-app payment service worldwide, allowing users to use the Viber platform as their own digital wallet. This digital wallet will support transfers and payments, and can be linked not only to bank accounts but also to Visa and Mastercard, letting users securely and conveniently send money to others, buy products, and pay bills. As the first step of this service, a free person-to-person transfer feature is being rolled out, currently available in Germany and Greece. Based on user feedback from these two markets in the early stages, Viber plans to keep improving the service before expanding it to other markets around the world.
Photo — Mr. Ofir Eyal, Chief Executive Officer of Rakuten Viber
“Despite the challenges, I’m genuinely proud, as Rakuten Viber’s CEO, to lead a team that has worked tirelessly to achieve the company’s goals and vision. I also want to continue upholding Viber’s high standards and spirit of innovation as we build it into a fuller, multi-purpose application with better user experiences. Let me take this moment to thank every single team member who has helped bring Viber to where it is today,” said Mr. Eyal.
Over the past few months, alongside its person-to-person communication features, Viber has also added business and entertainment features to the app to improve the overall user experience.
APAC (Asia-Pacific) is one of Viber’s highest-usage regions, with more than 20% annual user growth, and Viber is placing special emphasis on partnerships and projects best suited to this region’s markets. Viber will therefore continue investing in the Asia-Pacific region, and will keep pursuing the partnerships, strategies, and services best suited and most beneficial for growing its user base in each individual country.
In Myanmar too, Rakuten Viber stands as one of the most widely used and trusted messaging apps, letting users manage their businesses and handle their personal communications effectively and securely. Content creators and brands in Myanmar are also increasingly using Viber as one of their digital channels.
As Myanmar remains a key market for Viber, the company will continue sharing its global campaigns in the Myanmar language, so that people in Myanmar can make the most of its latest technologies and capabilities.