I have tried Silbo Money, mobile payments without leaving WhatsApp. It’s like bringing cash to the mobile, for good and for the bad

A few weeks ago we talked about Money whistlethe Sevillian startup that integrates mobile payments in WhatsApp.

Its approach is brilliant in its simplicity: instead of competing as another app, it is integrated into “the application we already use” par excellence to become our digital portfolio.

The system operates inside WhatsAppwith minimal derivations to the browser. We add to our contacts and chat with a purely functional Bot. No canned responses or frustrating loops, only direct and functional interactions.

The record is automatic and direct: we validate identity, we create a four -digit pin, and voila. This pin is requested when initiating a conversation or after a while of inactivity, balancing security and convenience.

The registration process.

The creation of the PIN is one of the processes for which Silbo sends us to the browser.

Its main difference with Bizum It is structural: It works as an independent digital purse. While Bizum operates directly with our bank account, Silbo requires loading previous balance. It is moving the cash to the mobile.

The loading process.

This separation has two readings:

• An inconvenience: Add friction against Bizum.
• An advantage: Provides extra security when isolation from our account.

The interface is pure pragmatism. It allows navigation for text commands and contextual buttons. The buttons guide the rookie, the commands speed up the expert. For example, if we write “balance” you will ask us if you show it in the chat or if you download it. If we write “Chat balance” you will show us directly.

The Silbo Shares menu.

A shipment of money …

… and a money application (happily corresponded).

By the way, the fluorine yellow that uses whistle as a brand image seemed to me somewhat strident at the beginning. After trying it, it is clear to me: it makes it easier to quickly locate the conversation with a Scroll visual. It stands out, and a lot.

The most remarkable is how to take advantage of WhatsApp omnipresence. You don’t have to download another app or learn to use another interface, everything happens in a family environment. It even has a collection of Stickers Own that include messages such as “who pays rest”, perfect for using passive-agreesive tone.

The withdrawal of the balance to our bank account.

His challenge will be to achieve critical mass. Like whatsapp or bizum, You need adoption to be useful.

• Its advantage is to operate on WhatsApp, canonical in Spain.
• His challenge, convince users to take the step, especially considering Bizum’s current domain.

In my tests I have done several operations: load balance, send money, claim it, receive it, withdraw it, consultations, etc. Everything works fluently, without complications or delays (the withdrawals take one or two days). The only real friction is the need to load previously balance. Overcome that step, the system is as natural as sending a message.

Silbo optimizes more than revolutionary: take the mobile payment and simplify it by integrating it where we already live. It is pure pragmatism. Time will say if it manages to challenge Bizum.

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Outstanding image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio