How India's WhatsApp boom influenced Meta's Kunal Shah bet

India's growing importance to WhatsApp's business strategy is understood to have influenced Meta's decision to appoint Cred founder Kunal Shah as the messaging platform's global chief, according to a Moneycontrol report. The report said India generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue for WhatsApp and contributes over half of its global earnings, driven largely by business messaging. Shah brings experience spanning digital payments, credit cards and lending, sectors that increasingly align with WhatsApp's ambitions in commerce and financial services.WhatsApp has crossed 3 billion monthly users globally, including more than 500 million users in India. Despite its scale, the platform remains in the early stages of monetisation compared with Meta's larger advertising businesses such as Facebook and Instagram.Meta executives said earlier that WhatsApp's paid messaging business had surpassed a $2 billion annual run rate in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company's "Family of Apps other revenue" segment, which includes WhatsApp's paid messaging and subscription businesses, generated $2.6 billion in 2025.People familiar with the company's plans told Moneycontrol that Meta wants businesses to be able to complete customer interactions entirely within WhatsApp chats, reducing the need to move users to external platforms. The company believes Shah can help accelerate that vision, particularly in India and other emerging markets.Responding to queries, Meta said it does not disclose revenue figures by country. The company, however, said it is "excited about the growth of the business" and the opportunities created by Meta Business Agent. Introduced earlier this month, the tool allows businesses to deploy AI-powered agents that can respond to customers, generate leads, schedule appointments, recommend products and support sales activities.Meta's decision reflects a broader pattern under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has increasingly turned to founders to lead key initiatives. Last year, the company invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought its CEO, Alexandr Wang, into a leadership role overseeing Meta's AI efforts, according to the report.Also Read: How Kunal Shah turned rewards into a fintech empire—and landed the top job at WhatsAppShah has built a reputation as one of India's most active startup investors, backing more than 250 startups while mentoring founders across the ecosystem. According to Moneycontrol, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox approached Shah while looking for a leader with a deep understanding of markets where WhatsApp already enjoys significant adoption and growth potential.Business messaging remains WhatsApp's primary source of revenue. The company charges businesses and brands to communicate with customers and also earns through click-to-WhatsApp advertising products. In recent years, Meta has expanded its business offerings with AI tools and automation products aimed at helping merchants manage customer interactions more efficiently.Shah is also expected to focus on strengthening WhatsApp's payments strategy in India. While the platform has struggled to secure a meaningful share of the UPI market, Meta is increasingly positioning WhatsApp as a broader commerce platform that can support multiple payment methods, including UPI, cards and net banking within the app.His appointment follows an earlier attempt by Meta to bring entrepreneurial leadership to WhatsApp's India operations. In 2018, the company named Ezetap co-founder Abhijit Bose as the first country head for WhatsApp anywhere in the world. Bose exited the company in 2022.