WhatsApp India will soon launch sachet-sized health insurance and micro-pension products with the backing of SBI General Insurance Company and HDFC Pension Management Company, respectively, said Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp India during Facebook's Fuel for India 2020 virtual conference. "During COVID-19 the ability for people to get immediate and targeted health and life insurance can protect families' financial security from emergency expenses. We hope that these projects will make it much easier for micro-pensions and health insurance to be scaled hopefully to every Indian regardless of location and income," he said. The messaging platform will soon allow consumers purchase affordable sachet-sized health insurance policies micro-pension products, through WhatsApp and its financial services partners, Bose said. Beyond the secure messaging service, WhatsApp strategy in India is based on other four pillars namely, digitising small businesses, easier access to business services and merchants of all sizes, digital payments and scaling social impact programs, he said. "We have designed specific products that will take care of healthcare needs in an affordable and hassle-free manner, and will be available through WhatsApp," said Amar Joshi, chief business officer, SBI General Insurance Company. “We are partnering with banks and financial institutions so people can get help and services without entering a local branch. Even as WhatsApp has become a way for hundreds of millions of people in India to communicate we feel we are just getting started,” Will Cathcart, WhatsApp's global head, said on Tuesday. WhatsApp Pay off to tepid start Earlier last month, the…
