Cloud-Based IM App Telegram Adds Payments Option

International payments provider ECOMMPAY is integrating with Telegram for in-app purchases, ECOMMPAY said in a statement on Monday (Oct. 12).

Founded by Nikolai Durov, Pavel Durov and Axel Neff, Telegram’s global active users top 400 million, and it is the most downloaded social media app in 20 countries.

Using the ECOMMPAY app, Telegram users will have the option to make purchases for cinema tickets, insurance, travel and more. The integration is intended to complement users’ digital payment behavior, which has been accelerated by the pandemic.

“There’s rarely an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution for companies integrating payments, as every customer is different, and there has to be a balance between the merchant’s and the customer’s needs,” said Paul Marcantonio, executive director of ECOMMPAY. “Seamless transactions and a great user experience are a vitally important part of improving conversion rates in business, and by integrating with Telegram, we’ll help more businesses increase their revenues and audience engagement.”

ECOMMPAY said it has grown steadily since its debut in 2012. It now has six international offices and operations in key markets including Asia, Europe, Africa, Russia and the U.K. The company is a principal member of Visa and Mastercard and a member of Visa Direct and MoneySend, as well as the first payment provider on PayPal.

“Businesses working with ECOMMPAY benefit from open access to all ECOMMPAY payment products and technologies through one single integration, more than 100 payment methods including Apple Pay and Google Pay, reliable payment processing 24/7, flexible payment solutions customized to business needs, fraud protection and personal customer support,” the company said.

Telegram is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Apple, alleging that the app could not launch a gaming platform in 2016 on the grounds that it violated App Store rules. Durov filed a grievance with Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s (EU) competition czar.