Revolut rolls out chat feature in ‘super app’ push
Revolut has ramped up its efforts to reach ‘super app’ status today as it rolls out an instant messaging feature to allow users to communicate in the app.
Revolut Chat, which is available to customers in the UK and Europe from today, will allow customers to “share fun gifs and stickers” while sending and requesting funds, Revolut said.
The rollout of the messaging feature marks an acceleration of Revolut’s efforts to become a one-stop-shop app for users. The London-headquartered fintech last month rolled out Revolut Homes to allow users to book holiday rentals in a direct challenge to AirBnB.
Revolut boss Nikolay Storonsky said today the feature would move it “one step closer” to being a “global financial superapp”.
“We listened to our customers who said they wanted to be able to discuss and clarify payment details within the app, rather than having to swap between Revolut and different messaging apps to send or receive funds,” he said.
“We want to give our customers more control over their financial well-being through the use of our technology, offering a service that addresses all their financial needs in one place.”
Revolut said its research showed that two-thirds of people “find it difficult to discuss money” and the new feature aims to remove awkwardness by keeping it one place, the firm said.
The new chat feature comes as firms jostle for position in the race to cover all bases for customers. Elon Musk has indicated he will push Twitter towards a super app model with payments and messaging features.
Fintechs are looking to replicate the dominance of China’s WeChat which combines messaging, social media and ecommerce in one platform and boasts over 1.2bn active users.