TECHNOLOGY
Businesses using Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform will begin paying for certain messages sent to customers from October 1, 2026, under a new pricing structure announced by the company.
The development is particularly significant for Nigerian businesses, as banks, fintech companies, retailers, airlines and telecommunications firms increasingly rely on WhatsApp to communicate with customers.
The charge applies to organisations that use the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to manage customer communication on a large scale.
Regular WhatsApp users and small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app are not the main targets of the new charges.
Under the revised system, the amount businesses pay will depend on the type of message being sent.
Utility messages, including payment alerts, order confirmations and other service-related updates, will cost about $0.0101 per message, while marketing messages will attract a higher fee of approximately $0.062 each.
For example, a Nigerian fintech company sending 500,000 chargeable utility messages could incur about $5,050 in fees from Meta alone, excluding charges that may come from third-party providers or software platforms used to manage the messaging service.
