Meta appointed Kunal Shah as the global head of WhatsApp.

Meta officially appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as the Global Head of WhatsApp on June 22^nd 2026. After investing $900 million (£679 million) in CRED, Meta chose Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp as the company works to grow beyond a messaging app. It plans to expand into digital payments, business services, and AI-powered features aiming to become an "everything app”. Unlike many well-known Indian tech founders, Kunal Shah did not study engineering or earn an MBA degree. He studied philosophy in college and followed a different path before building CRED. Before Meta appointed Kunal Shah as the CEO of WhatsApp he was already a very well-known name in India's startup. In 2010, Kunal Shah co-founded FreeCharge which is a mobile recharge platform. In 2015, the company was bought by Snapdeal in one of the biggest startup deals in India at that time. After leaving FreeCharge, Kunal Shah spent a few years investing in new technology startups and mentoring young entrepreneurs. In 2018, he started CRED with a simple idea of rewarding people for paying their credit card bills on time. Over the years, CRED expanded into lending, insurance, shopping, and wealth management services. The success of CRED played an important role in Meta's decision to give Kunal Shah the responsibility of leading WhatsApp which is a platform used by more than three billion people worldwide.

In India, WhatsApp is growing beyond just a messaging app. It is expanding into digital payments, online shopping, and business services. Kunal Shah has spent the past several years building products, investing in startups and helping businesses grow. His experience in these areas made him a strong choice to lead WhatsApp as it continues to expand its services. Though, Meta has not shared the exact reason for choosing Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp. However, while announcing the appointment, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised Shah for his ability to build successful products and his global outlook. This new role will be very different from his previous work. At CRED, Kunal Shah created products mainly for people who actively used financial services, such as entrepreneurs, investors, and technology professionals. At WhatsApp, he will now lead a platform that is used by billions of people from all walks of life around the world.

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