WhatsApp: Let's Chat 

Whether you are in the market for a nicely fattened goat from the United Arab Emirates or freshly caught fish in the port of Mangalore in India, you can place your order on WhatsApp. The ping! ping! ping! of WhatsApp messages arriving on a smartphone has become the soundtrack of business in many emerging markets, as companies bypass phone calls and email to communicate with their customers. Governments have also turned to the app, using it to interact with citizens and appeal to voters.

I worked with foreign correspondents around the world to explore how WhatsApp is being used by businesses - and hunt for clues about how the app could make money in the future. Read the rest here on FT.com. 

---