Meta's WhatsApp Introduces Bitcoin Payments: Say Goodbye to Sati

Felipe Servin, CEO & Founder of Sati, described how Sati delivers a Bitcoin wallet entirely through WhatsApp. “It’s really, really simple, fully noncustodial,” Servin said. He added that Sati never holds private keys, ensuring users retain full control.

The approach aims to accelerate Bitcoin adoption without requiring new app installs.

Users start by sending a message to a WhatsApp bot, choose a PIN, and the app combines that PIN with a fingerprint of their phone to scramble and store the wallet data only on their device.

Because Sati never has access to the scrambled data or PIN, only the user can unlock and spend the Bitcoin, much like keeping cash in a personal safe rather than leaving it with a bank .

Servin explained Sati uses WhatsApp Business API with custom encryption. “Once it’s encrypted, everything is integrated in WhatsApp,” he said.

Targeting emerging markets

Servin highlighted WhatsApp’s reach in Mexico , Brazil , Türkiye and parts of Africa . “Most people in the emerging markets can use it with one message, that's the innovation,” he said. He noted lack of dollars , banking limits and currency devaluation drives adoption.

“ Bitcoin in emerging markets is actually the solution. Real usage is happening there,” he explained.

Looking ahead, he noted plans for stablecoin swaps. “A couple really interesting things that are happening are bringing in stablecoins directly on Bitcoin. So swaps are coming like USD to Bitcoin natively on the Lightning Network,” he said.

He added open-source code and upcoming key recovery tools: “We’re building something to explore these keys in a couple months. So if something goes down you can get out of the system no problem,” Servin said.

Servin said the solution could lower barriers for millions in regions with unstable currencies and support real-world use cases like bill payments and remittances via chat — reinforcing everyday utility. “Feedback from early users has been positive,” he added.