Facebook May Add Users’ Banking Details To Messenger

Facebook already allows users and businesses to interact with each other in multiple ways through Messenger and it appears that the company wants to take things one step further. It’s reportedly mulling the possibility of adding users’ banking information to Messenger so that users can keep an eye on their checking account balances and even receive fraud alerts through its messaging platform.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook wants to bring banking information straight into Messenger. It’s said to have been in talks with companies like Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and U.S. Bancorp for this purpose over the past year. Google and Amazon are also believed to be seeking banking information so that they can bring banking services to their virtual assistants.

People familiar with the talks reveal to the scribe that Facebook has asked for data on card transactions and checking account balances. It proposes bringing this information to Messenger so that users can check their accounts and receive information such as fraud alerts through Messenger.

“Like many online companies, we routinely talk to financial institutions about how we can improve people’s commerce experiences, like enabling better customer service,” Facebook spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said, adding that “An essential part of these efforts is keeping people’s information safe and secure.”

A spokesperson for JPMorgan told the scribe that it won’t share “customers’ off-platform transaction data with these platforms, and have had to say no to some things as a result.”

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: Facebook