There are already a lot of ways to pay people online, but that’s not stopping Facebook. Facebook is consolidating the system, called Facebook Pay, that handles payments at the social network and in its family of messaging apps.

 

The move comes in a climate of political rhetoric. This includes calls for the California-based internet company to break up.

 

A unified Facebook Pay system will eventually handle transactions such as payments or donations at Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp or the main social network. Deborah Liu, the marketplace and commerce vice president made this known.

 

In an online post, Liu said:

“People already use payments across our apps to shop, donate to causes and send money to each other. Facebook Pay will make these transactions easier while continuing to ensure your payment information is secure and protected.”

 

Facebook Pay will provide a single system behind the scenes to handle financial transactions and safeguard data such as credit card numbers or delivery addresses for people who may use several of the social network’s applications.

 

The unified service will begin rolling out in the US this week for fundraisers, in-game purchases, event tickets, and person-to-person payments on Messenger and purchases on Facebook.

 

 

Lui also said:

“Over time, we plan to bring Facebook Pay to more people and places, including for use across Instagram and WhatsApp.”

 

Payments in Facebook apps are processed in partnerships with PayPal, Stripe and other online financial transactions platforms around the world. They also stay separate from a Calibra digital wallet built to handle a proposed Libra cryptocurrency, according to Liu.

 

Liu continued:

“Facebook Pay is part of our ongoing work to make commerce more convenient, accessible and secure for people on our apps. We believe we can help businesses grow and empower people everywhere to buy and sell things online.”

 

Facebook’s planned digital currency Libra is facing heated opposition from policymakers around the world. Facebook originally hoped to roll out Libra next year. However, it has met fierce resistance from regulators and governments who see it as a threat to their monetary sovereignty.