WhatsApp rival tests cryptocurrency payments in U.K.

Signal Payments will link MobileCoin wallet to the user’s account to send and receive payments and keep track of balance and transaction history in the same interface

Signal was the fastest-growing app by downloads in the first three months of 2021, according to data by App Annie

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Messaging app Signal said it has rolled out the beta build for digital currency payments on its platform. Signal Payments will enable users to send and receive payments in the form of cryptocurrency, the company said in a statement.

The WhatsApp rival said it is testing the feature with MobileCoin in the U.K. Signal Foundation's co-founder Moxie Marlinspike has been an advisor to the crypto exchange since 2017, according to a

Wired report.

Signal Payments will link MobileCoin wallet to the user’s account to send and receive payments and keep track of balance and transaction history in the same interface.

Signal will not be able to access the user’s funds and other transaction data, the company clarified.

The California-based messaging app gained recognition following the ongoing WhatsApp privacy debate , making it the fastest-growing app by downloads in the first three months of 2021 , according to app analytics firm App Annie.

The payments feature is an effort to compete with WhatsApp’s payments feature that received clearance to operate in India in November last year .