Facebook granted European license for electronic payments in Messenger
Payments through Facebook Messenger have been available in the US for some time now, and they're about to make their way to Europe.
Facebook has just been granted a license for 'payment services' and 'e-money issuance' with the Central Bank of Ireland. As a member of the European Union, holding a license in Ireland means that Facebook will be able to offer its payment services in all of the EU member states.
At the moment it is not clear if Facebook intends to operate the European service in precisely the same way as the US. The existing Facebook Messenger payment options make it possible to send money to friends and family, but there is potential for this to be opened up into a way to pay for goods and services online.
In a statement issued to TechCrunch, Facebook said:
Facebook Payments International Ltd. (FBPIL) is pleased to confirm we have been approved authorization as an electronic money institution by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI).
The license enables us to roll out products like charitable donations on Facebook or peer-to-peer payments via Messenger in Europe, as we have in the U.S. The license authorizes FBPIL to issue donations from Facebook users to charities registered in the European Economic Area (EEA) only; and peer-to-peer payments, within the EEA.
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