The fact that there is a separate service providing instant payments does nothing to disprove my point - being that payments within a chat app is useful, if not preferred, by millions in China and elsewhere.
What exactly is the rationale that makes payments within a chat app 'inferior' or 'unneeded' just because there are separate services available (e.g. Barclays' Pingit)?
Not in a country that has free, (de facto) instant bank transfers (Faster Payments).
If the problem there is that you need someone's bank details and not just their phone number, there's Barclays' Pingit.