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Brief

WhatsApp Business Platform

Conversational Commerce & Messaging APIsProduct· part of WhatsApp

WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's suite of tools for enabling businesses to communicate with customers on WhatsApp.

Latest · Text Becomes AI Operating Layer for the Modern E-commerce Stack with New Shopify App and WhatsApp for Business Integration· Jul 2

Last updated Oct 5, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team

Founded
2018
HQ
Menlo Park, California, United States
Parent
WhatsApp
Connections
14

AI-drafted from public sources7 sources cited

At a glance

Employees
10001+
Revenue
Part of Meta's $130B+ annual revenue; business messaging estimated at several billion annually
Stock
META
12integrations1corporate family
Customer EngagementPerformance Marketing

About

The dominant enterprise messaging API for WhatsApp, the world's largest messaging app, with unmatched reach in emerging and European markets

WhatsApp Business Platform is Meta's suite of tools for enabling businesses to communicate with customers on WhatsApp. It supports personalized, interactive, two-way conversations as part of cross-channel marketing campaigns, with brands using it for promotions, order updates, cart recovery, and customer support. Meta is streamlining how businesses create and manage marketing strategy across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram through Ads Manager, allowing businesses of all sizes to use shared creatives, setup flows, and budgets in one central place, with AI systems able to optimize budgets across placements to maximize performance. Source 1: mailchimp.com — What Is WhatsApp Business? WhatsApp Business vs. ... Source 2: braze.com — WhatsApp Marketing: The Complete 2026 Guide Source 3: fb.com — Centralized Campaigns, AI Support and More for Businesses ...

Business model

Usage-based / API Platform

Target market

Enterprise

What they offer

  • WhatsApp Cloud API

    Meta-hosted API allowing businesses to directly integrate WhatsApp messaging without third-party BSP infrastructure, reducing latency and cost

  • WhatsApp On-Premises API

    Legacy self-hosted API solution for businesses requiring on-premise deployment; being phased out in favor of Cloud API

  • Message Templates (HSMs)

    Pre-approved structured message templates for outbound business-initiated communications including notifications, OTPs, and marketing messages

  • Interactive Messages

    Rich message formats including list messages, reply buttons, product catalogs, and carousel templates for enhanced customer engagement

  • WhatsApp Flows

    Native in-chat form and workflow builder enabling businesses to collect structured data, complete transactions, and run surveys without leaving WhatsApp

  • Click-to-WhatsApp Ads (CTWA)

    Facebook and Instagram ad format that opens a WhatsApp conversation directly, bridging paid social with conversational engagement

  • WhatsApp Payments

    In-chat payment capability available in select markets (India, Brazil) enabling commerce transactions within the messaging thread

  • Business Solution Provider (BSP) Ecosystem

    Network of authorized third-party partners (Twilio, Infobip, MessageBird, etc.) that resell and build on top of the WhatsApp Business Platform

Key features

Conversation-based and per-message billing with four conversation categories (marketing, utility, authentication, service)End-to-end encryption for all messagesRich media support: images, video, audio, documents, location, stickersWhatsApp Flows for in-chat data collection and transactionsWebhook-based real-time message delivery and status updatesGreen tick verified business profileMulti-agent inbox support via BSP integrationsCatalog and product messaging for conversational commerceClick-to-WhatsApp ad integration with Meta Ads ManagerGlobal reach across 180+ countries

Use cases

Transactional notifications (order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders)Customer support and service automation via chatbots and live agent handoffMarketing campaigns and promotional broadcasts to opted-in usersOTP and two-factor authentication deliveryConversational commerce and in-chat product catalog browsingLead generation and qualification via Click-to-WhatsApp adsPost-purchase feedback and NPS surveys via WhatsApp FlowsFinancial services alerts and account notificationsHealthcare appointment scheduling and remindersTravel and hospitality booking confirmations and updates

Customer segments

E-commerce and retail brandsFinancial services and bankingHealthcare providers and insurersTravel and hospitality companiesTelecommunications providersLogistics and delivery companiesEdTech platformsGovernment and public sector (select markets)SaaS companies for customer onboarding and support

Tech & specs

Technology stack

REST API (JSON-based)Webhooks for real-time event deliveryOAuth 2.0 authenticationMeta Cloud infrastructure (AWS/Meta data centers)End-to-end encryption (Signal Protocol)WhatsApp Flows (JSON-based UI schema)Meta Business SDKGraph API integration

Security & compliance

End-to-end encryption (Signal Protocol)GDPRISO 27001 (Meta infrastructure)SOC 2 (Meta infrastructure)CCPAWhatsApp opt-in consent requirementsMeta Data Processing Terms

Deployment

Cloud

API

Yes

Corporate history
  1. 2018 · Founded
Connection details
See integrations with WhatsApp Business Platform (12)

Explore further

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On the Mapby country + regionOn the GraphNetwork around WhatsApp Business Plat…