Facebook is set to introduce a friend-to-friend payment system to Messenger, according to some newly leaked screenshots.
Rumours of a move into mobile payments have been circling around Facebook for a while, and now some new images show off a new feature that'll allow you send money to a friend in just a couple of clicks, after registering a debit card and setting up a pin code.
TechCrunch obtained the pictures from a computer science student, and even a screenshot of the feature in action. According to the source who unearthed the information, all Facebook has to do at this point is switch the feature on.
Payments will be limited between two people for the time being, but a note in the code explains "Multiple payment attachments will be supported in the future."
Pay it forward
It's not clear if Facebook intends to charge users a small fee for the service, but the source calculated that each transaction would cost Facebook between $40 and $50.
At this point, it's probably worth pointing out that the company recently appointed ex-PayPal president David Marcus as the head of its Messenger app. That obviously makes a lot more sense now.
Back in July, Zuckerberg told investors that Facebook wasn't planning to roll out mobile payments any time soon, but this week's new information suggests otherwise. And with Facebook testing out a buy button for ecommerce purchases, the timing feels right.
We've approached Facebook for comment on the matter, though we expect it'll be keeping schtum for now.
