Facebook offers mobile payments in UK

Facebook will allow people outside of the U.S. to send money using its messenger app for the first time.

{mosads}Facebook Messenger head David Marcus said Monday that users in the United Kingdom would be able to use the feature as it rolls out in the coming weeks.

“In the U.S. most people use payments in Messenger to send less than $50 at a time,” Marcus said in a statement. “Our research shows the top reasons for sending money include celebrations, social, and festive occasions; it’s those everyday moments we’re trying to make a little easier.”

The company initially introduced the feature in 2015, as part of its effort to gain market share in the payments industry.

Other firms in the U.S. market include Square, which lets users swap money via its “Cash” app, and PayPal, which acquired payment service Venmo. Apple plans to enter the market with its upcoming Apple Pay Cash app that lets users make payments through its iMessage application.

The U.K. by comparison is a less competitive market at the moment for small-scale payments.