Title: Regional snapshot URL: https://www.infobip.com/messaging-trends-report/regional-snapshot Messaging Trends 2026 ## Regional analysis This year we take a deeper look at regional channel penetration and growth, the combinations of channels preferred by different industries, and some of the market and regulatory trends affecting the adoption and growth of messaging channels. ## Summary 2025 saw strong growth for all pillar channels in LATAM, with an overall 62% increase in interactions in the region. WhatsApp remains the dominant messaging app in LATAM with the highest penetration rates in most markets. While WhatsApp volumes showed a healthy year-on-year growth of 18% for the region, we are also seeing significant growth for RCS, Voice and Video, Email and SMS as brands explore use cases that utilize a blend of channels to provide the most effective and efficient service to their customers. Latin America remains one of the most dynamic and diverse messaging landscapes in the world. And not just in language and culture, but in fast-evolving regulations, platform enforcement, and infrastructure maturity. Navigating this complexity requires brands to stay compliant, agile, and ready to adapt as each market moves at its own pace. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2026/03/janeth-rodriguez-2.png) Janeth Rodriguez VP of Revenue - LATAM ## LATAM messaging app penetration Country #1 #2 #3 Argentina 80% WhatsApp 60% Instagram 50% Messenger Brazil 85% WhatsApp 70% RCS 65% Instagram Colombia 75% WhatsApp 50% Messenger 40% Instagram ## LATAM messaging trends Regulatory changes: There were some significant shifts in privacy and compliance regulations across the region during 2025: 1. In **Argentina** a new legislative bill was introduced that aims to modernize the national data protection framework toward GDPR-level standards, increasing compliance pressure for brands using messaging for customer engagement. 1. In **Brazil** new rules that apply to the movement of personal data across international borders came into effect in August 2025. Similar to GDPR in Europe, the ANPD’s (National Data Protection Authority) rules impact how regional businesses move customer data across cloud environments and messaging platforms. Brazil and the European Union have recognized each other's frameworks as equivalent, allowing free flow of data between them without additional, specific instruments. 1. In **Columbia** the data protection authority increased sanctions and warnings related to contacting users without consent, showing strong enforcement even without major new legislation. Platform-driven risks 2025 saw cases of WhatsApp Business accounts in the region being restricted or suspended, which highlights the operational risk tied to Meta’s automated enforcement. Although these incidents were isolated and efficiently resolved, they reinforce the need for brands to both adhere to platform policies and have effective and automated fallback channels in place. Connectivity and infrastructure Multiple 5G launch announcements across the region in 2025 will help to further accelerate adoption of richer messaging formats (RCS, multimedia, conversational experiences). This will also shift user expectations around message interactivity and latency. Industry focus – Retail & eCommerce The Latin American retail market was valued at approximately USD 1.78 tr in 2024 and was projected to reach USD 1.90 tr in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.71% through to 2033. Brazil, as the largest economy in the region, plays a pivotal role, with its retail market valued at USD 219.24 bn in 2024 and expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.40% from 2025 to 2034. Infobip customer Mercado Libre dominates the LATAM shopping app landscape in 2025, with over 64 million daily active users. Brazil remains the powerhouse of mobile commerce, contributing 6 of the top 10 shopping apps in LATAM. This highlights both the Brazil’s highly developed digital retail ecosystem and strong consumer appetite for mobile shopping. KEY STATS ## 62% increase in interactions in LATAM ## All channels 5 year growth ## Country and channel YoY growth Countries YoY growth Brazil 80% Colombia 84% Argentina 25% Channels YoY growth RCS Brazil 821% 753% Voice & Video Colombia 185% 93% Email Brazil 164% 69% SMS Brazil 86% 53% WhatsApp 18% ## 5-year channel trends YoY growth per industry Industries - 2025 Production & Manufacturing 6x Media & Entertainment 154% Wholesale communication services 188% Retail & eCommerce 54% Finance & Fintech 54% Tech & Software 50% Insights provided by: Natalia RojasContent Marketing Expert, Infobip Colombia ## Summary The headline story in North America has been the continued exponential growth of RCS since Apple began supporting it on its devices in 2024. Growth has been particularly strong in the United States, which has seen a 76x increase during 2025 alone, with a particularly steep increase in Q4 as many large brands led with the channel for their Black Friday messaging. ## RCS volumes by month over the last two years ## Why has RCS growth been so sharp? The United States is a unique market in the global context as there is no dominant OTT messaging app. Brands looking to enrich their messaging with media like high-quality images, videos, carousels, reply buttons, and verified branding, are looking to RCS as a delivery channel to reach the 270 million people in the US with RCS-ready handsets. Unlike some global regions where carriers have launched incompatible RCS implementations, in the US all major U.S. carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, US-Cellular) have aligned on the GSMA RCS Universal Profile. The adoption trend that we have seen in our customer base has been consistent. Brands start by replicating SMS use cases with RCS. They then start to add features, measuring and adapting as they go, as they move closer to true conversational messaging. In most cases we didn’t see brands completely replacing SMS and MMS during 2025. After experimenting to match each use case with the best channel, taking into account cost and user experience, most brands are using the channels in a complementary way. ## The role US carriers have played in RCS adoption A key focus for carriers in 2025 was to iron out all the small glitches to ensure a consistent user experience across device and operating systems. They have also put a lot of emphasis on building powerful spam, fraud, and trust frameworks including: 1. Verified sender programs 1. Brand vetting 1. Network‑level spam detection 2026 will be a pivotal year for Conversational Messaging in North America, led by RCS for Business. With broad carrier availability, strong subscriber reach, and native fallback to SMS and MMS, RCS is now enterprise-ready at scale.” ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2026/03/marcelo-frizzo-2.png) Marcelo Frizzo Head of Operator Partnership KEY STATS ### Total increase of 20% Messaging app penetration per country Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 United States 80% RCS 55% Instagram 50% Apple Business Messages 45% Messenger 30% WhatsApp Canada 55% Messenger 50% Instagram 50% Apple Business Messages 45% RCS 30% WhatsApp Mexico 90% WhatsApp 50% RCS 45% Instagram 45% Messenger 25% Telegram YoY growth Countries YoY growth United States RCS 76x Voice & Video 98% Email 247% 22% Mexico 22% Channels YoY growth RCS 70x Voice & Video 85% Email 248% ## Why voice continues to grow in North America Voice continues to see strong growth in North America because it remains a highly trusted and widely used channel for support, authentication, and other high-value customer interactions. This is being further accelerated by AI-powered voice agents and innovations like Branded Calling, which help restore trust by showing verified business identity directly on the handset. In the U.S., strong voice performance is also supported by direct network ownership, which enables higher call quality, reliability, and faster setup. As businesses add automation and AI-driven capabilities, voice is evolving into a more intelligent, scalable, and high-impact engagement channel. YoY growth per industry Industries Channels YoY growth Telecoms RCS Voice & Video 149x 394% 356% Tech & Software Voice & Video RCS Apple Messages 80x 12x 95% 192% Finance & Fintech RCS Email SMS 405x 47% 56% 84% Media & Entertainment 115% ## Omnichannel usage Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Finance SMS Voice & Video Email RCS/MMS Retail & eCommerce SMS Voice & Video Email RCS/MMS Telecoms SMS RCS Voice & Video Email Tech & Software SMS Voice & Video MMS Email Insights provided by: Breanna Johnson,External Communications Specialist, Infobip North America ## Summary With mature markets and proven privacy and compliance regulations, the enduring messaging trend in Europe is sustained and consistent growth. However, the 44% overall increase in the region does conceal some notable spikes in channels and individual markets with a 4x growth in RCS messages and sharp increases in Poland (161%) and Italy (59%). ## European messaging growth - 5 year trend TRENDS ## Rich messaging channels go mainstream The most significant shift in European enterprise communications is the repositioning of WhatsApp and RCS from experimental channels to core business infrastructure. WhatsApp continues to dominate as the primary conversational channel across most sectors, with 35% year-on year growth on our platform for the region. RCS adoption is accelerating with penetration rates of 70% or over in the core markets of Germany, France, and the UK. In other countries adoption rates are increasing quickly particularly where operator support and verified sender frameworks are robust. The UK market demonstrates this shift clearly, with businesses consolidating providers to improve operational efficiency and remain channel-agnostic, reaching customers on preferred channels while optimizing spend. In France, logistics companies are using RCS and WhatsApp to manage delivery notifications and real-time interactions with delivery agents, reducing the need for multiple SMS messages and lowering operational costs. SMS still accounts for the majority of traffic in Europe and remains critical for time-sensitive and security-led use cases. In BFSI, SMS and RCS continue as dominant channels for authentication, validation, and payments because they are proven, trusted, and secure. ## Security drives channel choice Increased smishing attacks across Europe are directly impacting customer willingness to engage with brand messages. Verified senders play a key role in rebuilding customer trust, encouraging users to engage with messages and links again by clearly identifying legitimate brands. Trust now directly correlates with engagement: customers are more likely to open, read and act on messages when brand identity and security are clear. RCS investments are delivering a measurable impact on fraud reduction. Features such as verified senders, authentication for OTPs, encryption in transit, and spoofing prevention can make RCS more secure against smishing attacks than traditional SMS. The main communication trend we're seeing across Italy, France and beyond is the transformation from one-way, mass messaging to conversational channels. Brands want to have real dialogue with customers, not just broadcast. The entire customer journey, from advertising, email, to click-to-chat, needs to be connected in one unified story. ![](https://du73uvm6jvpti.cloudfront.net/uploads/2026/03/mirza-hadzic.png) Mirza Hadžić Sales Director Europe KEY STATS ## Total increase of 44% Channel penetration per country Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 **France** Pop. 68.6 M 70% RCS 50% Messenger 40% WhatsApp 40% Instagram 20% Apple Messages **Germany** Pop. 84 M 80% RCS 70% WhatsApp 35% Instagram 30% Messenger 30% Apple Messages **Italy** Pop. 59.1 M 75% WhatsApp 45% RCS 45% Instagram 35% Messenger 30% Telegram **Spain** Pop. 47.9 M 85% WhatsApp 55% Instagram 50% RCS 40% Messenger 30% Telegram **United Kingdom**Pop. 68.4 M 85% WhatsApp 70% RCS 65% Instagram 45% Messenger 35% Telegram YoY growth Countries YoY growth United Kingdom 15% Poland 161% Italy 59% Channels Yoy growth RCS 5x Email 4x SMS 34% WhatsApp 35% Growth per industry Industries Channels YoY growth Tech & Software SMS Voice & Video Email WhatsApp 65% 44% 5x 13x 94% Media & Entertainment SMS Email Voice & Video RCS 92% 118% 100% 4x 110% Retail & eCommerce SMS RCS Voice & Video 51% 4x 25% 43% Health & Fitness SMS Viber Voice& Video RCS 39% 80% 145% 5x 41% ## Omnichannel usage Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Telecoms SMS Voice & Video WhatsApp RCS Retail & eCommerce SMS Viber Email RCS Finance & Fintech SMS Email Voice & Video WhatsApp Insights provided by: Nedžla Bašić,Content Marketing Associate, Infobip Europe ## Summary Once again, the APAC region has proved to be a powerhouse in terms of growth in messaging volumes, and in rolling out new messaging use cases utilizing multiple channels, often in conjunction with AI to solve practical, high-impact business problems. The 51% annual growth that we saw in 2024 more than doubled in 2025 to 106%. Part of this growth is part of the global increase in email volumes on our platform, with Singapore serving as a distribution hub for the wider region. However, there were also significant increases for Mobile app messaging (150%), Viber (45%), and SMS (14%). ## 5 year messaging growth TRENDS ## Viber increases We have seen a significant 45% increase in Viber traffic in APAC during 2025.The Philippines is Viber’s single strongest market in the region and one of its top markets globally, accounting for over 11% of global users (Source). There is marginal growth in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore but with high penetration rates for other messaging apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, Kakao and Line in these countries we should continue to see the Philippines as the dominant market for the app. ## RCS growth While it still represents a small proportion of overall platform traffic in the region, there was a 5x increase in RCS traffic across APAC in 2025. With a large number of individual countries in the region, there is a mix of market readiness for RCS. Japan, South Korea and Singapore are the most advanced with full carrier support or close to it. Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines have some carrier support, but execution is fragmented. With a huge population of RCS compliant handsets in these regions, they have the potential for exponential growth once there is carrier and regulatory alignment. ## AI adoption As in previous years, businesses across the APAC region have continued to show a strong appetite for adopting AI. This includes employee adoption rates and willingness by businesses to invest in AI to solve practical, high-impact business problems. Crucially, new research from McKinsey, EDB, and Tech in Asia shows that businesses in APAC are far more likely than those in Europe and the US to have moved from pilot projects to enterprise AI deployments. What makes South APAC unique is the wide range of channels that influence customer communication from one market to the next. Success in the region depends on understanding local habits and building omnichannel strategies that reflect how customers actually want to engage. We saw this continue in 2025, with steady market growth in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, and strong channel momentum across mobile app messaging, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, SMS, as well as regionally important channels such as LINE and Zalo. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2026/03/akarat-ngandee-1.png) Akarat Ngandee Sales Director APAC ## APAC messaging app penetration Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 **Japan** Pop. 23.1 M 80% Line 40% Instagram 25% WhatsApp 25% Apple Messages 20% Messenger **Indonesia** Pop 285.7 M 65% WhatsApp 45% Instagram 30%Telegram 30% Messenger 15% Line **Hong Kong** Pop.7.4 M 90% WhatsApp 40% Apple Messages 30% Instagram 25% Telegram 25% RCS **Malaysia** Pop. 35.9 M 90% WhatsApp 60% Telegram 50% Messenger 40% Instagram 25% Apple Messages Philippines Pop, 116.8 M 95% Messenger 71% Viber 40% WhatsApp 25% Instagram 20% Telegram **South Korea** Pop. 51.7M 95% Kakao 45% Instagram 20% WhatsApp 20% Apple Messages 15% Telegram **Vietnam** Pop, 101.6 M 85% Zalo 45% Messenger 30% Apple Messages 26% Viber 15% WhatsApp KEY STATS ## 106% messaging growth in region YoY growth Countries YoY growth Singapore 405% (primarily email) China 49% Philippines 19% Channels Yoy growth Email 233% Mobile app messaging 150% Viber 45% SMS 14% In North APAC, innovation is increasingly shaping how businesses engage customers at scale. We are seeing organizations adopt AI more confidently and pair it with richer messaging channels to deliver faster, more personalized, and more seamless experiences. That shift is particularly visible in markets like China, where we've significant messaging growth this year, alongside strong growth in email and mobile app messaging across the wider region. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2023/12/TIna-Wang.jpg) Tina Wang Sales Director APAC Growth per industry Industries YoY growth Retail & eCommerce 369% Technology & Software 34% Media & Entertainment 65% ## Omnichannel usage Establishing overall trends in omnichannel usage for the APAC region is difficult as there is such a diversity of messaging apps with high penetration rates across the different countries, for example 95% for Messenger in the Philippines, 90% for WhatsApp in Malaysia, and 95% for Kakao in South Korea. Based on the traffic on our platform, we can confidently say that SMS is still the dominant channel in terms of volumes, supported by email, Voice & Video, and then whichever chat app is most popular in the country. Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Finance & Fintech SMS WhatsApp/Viber Voice & Video Email Retail & eCommerce SMS Email Voice & Video WhatsApp/Viber Telecoms SMS Voice & Video Email Viber/WhatsApp Insights provided by: Tania Ratnayake,Regional PR, Content & Social Team Lead, Infobip APAC ## Summary The MENA region has continued to show significant growth in messaging, a trend that we have seen since 2022. The region has seen rapid digital transformation, driven by evolving consumer behaviors, regulatory changes, and large-scale investments by governments and banks in the region. The region has also further entrenched its reputation as a growth engine for fintech with a 49% increase in messages on our platform. ## 5 year messaging growth TRENDS ## UAE OTP ban (July 2025) As part of the UAE’s digital transformation strategy, the UAE Central Bank has mandated the phasing out OTPs sent via SMS and email due to concerns about phishing, interception risks, and SIM-swapping fraud. The deadline for full discontinuation is March 2026. Authentication methods that use biometrics or app-based push notifications along with cryptographic tokens and passkeys are being implemented by businesses in the region as a replacement. ## Investments in AI infrastructure MENA governments are investing heavily in AI infrastructure to support digital transformation driven by generative AI and government-backed initiatives for AI data centers and cloud platforms.  Saudi Arabia’s $15B Humain initiative and the UAE’s AI campus projects aim to position the region as a global AI hub, enabling advanced messaging and personalization capabilities. ## Regulatory changes impacting messaging In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has banned local banks from using private messaging applications such as WhatsApp to communicate with customers, due to a spike in related fraud. SAMA has instructed banks to explore alternative communications channels, such as integrating live chat or chatbot services within their mobile apps or websites. ## Rise of Arabic AI models The rise of Arabic AI models in the MENA region reflects a deliberate push by governments and investors to build technological self‑sufficiency, cultivate home‑grown AI expertise, and accelerate economic diversification in the MENA region. Strategic funding plays a central role: Saudi Arabia’s Project Transcendence, a $100 billion AI investment initiative, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX Fund Management, also targeting $100 billion in AI investments, illustrate the scale of capital being deployed to accelerate model development and AI infrastructure. The economic impact is expected to be substantial. AI could contribute up to $320 billion to regional GDP by 2030, driven by productivity gains, new digital services, and improved customer experiences across industries. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are poised for the fastest growth, with AI projected to add 12–14% to their economies by 2030s channels, such as integrating live chat or chatbot services within their mobile apps or websites. ## Gamification as a core strategy In the lead up to the world’s biggest football tournament, regional rights holders and sponsors are using gamification to capture data, grow CRM databases, and drive year-round engagement. Predictor games, fantasy contests, and real-time fan challenges will dominate activations. Across MENA, customer communication is becoming more secure, more intelligent, and more tailored to local expectations. Regulatory shifts, growing investment in AI infrastructure, and the rise of Arabic-language AI models are accelerating how businesses rethink engagement across the customer journey. This is also reflected in our platform data, where we saw message volumes grow by 41% in 2025, with WhatsApp continuing to lead as a key conversational channel across the region. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2025/10/zeid-shubailat.jpg) Zeid Shubailat Regional Sales Director KEY STATS ## Total 49% increase in messages in 2025 Messaging channel penetration WhatsApp is the dominant chat app across the MENA region, and this can be seen with continued strong growth. Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 **Kuwait** Pop. 5M 90% WhatsApp 50% Instagram 40% Viber 40% Apple Messages 35% Messenger **Qatar** Pop 3.1M 65% WhatsApp 45% Instagram 35% Messenger 33% Viber 20% Apple Messages **Saudi Arabia** Pop. 34.5 M 80% WhatsApp 60% Telegram 45% Instagram 35% Messenger 20% Apple Messages **UAE** Pop. 11.3 M 90% WhatsApp 65% Instagram 50% Messenger 35% Telegram 20% Viber YoY growth Countries YoY growth Egypt 129% UAE 63% Pakistan 56% Channels Yoy growth **Voice and Video** Egypt **101%** 139% **Mobile App Messaging** UAE **314%** 436% **WhatsApp** **36%** Growth per industry Industries YoY growth Media & Entertainment UAE 297% 514% Transport & Logistics Egypt 119% 139% Finance & Fintech 43% ## Omnichannel usage Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Finance & Fintech SMS WhatsApp Email Voice & Video Retail & eCommerce SMS Voice & Video WhatsApp Email Telecoms SMS WhatsApp Voice & Video Email Insights provided by: Farah SoudaniSocial Media Specialist, Infobip Jordan ## Summary Africa is a hugely diverse geographic region made up of 54 sovereign states with very different economic development, rates of urbanization, and even mobile phone ownership. With our customers primarily active in the economic powerhouses of Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and East African countries like Kenya and Tanzania, our platform traffic is not fully representative of what is happening on the ground across the entire continent. While Africa’s messaging landscape shares a common trajectory, regional realities shape execution. ## Investments in AI infrastructure West AfricaSMS and USSD remain key for reach and cost-efficiency, but banks, fintechs, and gaming brands are layering in WhatsApp, voice and email to boost engagement and combat fraud. In West Africa, most of the traffic still sits on two pillars: secure transactional messaging and customer engagement. Banks, fintechs and gaming companies rely on SMS and USSD for reach and reliability, then layer in WhatsApp, voice and email where it makes sense for authentication, support and richer journeys. Because of currency and infrastructure constraints, our clients cannot afford to bet everything on a single premium channel. They are very pragmatic: SMS and USSD remain the backbone, while channels like WhatsApp are used more selectively where the value clearly justifies the higher cost. **On chatbot adoption** The first wave of chatbots in Nigeria was often seen as a new revenue channel. The second wave is much more realistic: banks and fintechs now use AI to reduce contact centre pressure, improve response times and make everyday service more convenient, while keeping strict control of risk and cost. ![](https://du73uvm6jvpti.cloudfront.net/uploads/2026/03/olatayo-l-ajai.png) Olatayo L-Ajai, Regional Manager West Africa East AfricaThe heart of mobile-money ecosystems, where messaging integrates directly with wallets and embedded finance. WhatsApp, SMS and USSD flex dynamically by device, connectivity and income, while AI chatbots personalize support, detect anomalies, and answer questions in real time. East Africa’s digital economy is being built on three pillars: mobile money, messaging and AI. WhatsApp, SMS and USSD now sit on top of a mature mobile money ecosystem, so financial services, retail and even agriculture can deliver everyday experiences that are both accessible and increasingly intelligent. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania show how powerful hybrid access models can be. Smartphones and WhatsApp are growing fast, but USSD and SMS still matter enormously for people in low connectivity or low-income segments. The most effective journeys are the ones that combine these channels to keep everyone included. ![](https://du73uvm6jvpti.cloudfront.net/uploads/2026/03/george-muhia.png) George Muhia, Principal Solution Engineer, Infobip Kenya Southern AfricaIn South Africa we are seeing brands scale compliant CX programs using WhatsApp, SMS, email and voice - often with AI - to reduce call center load, speed fraud checks, and resolve issues faster. In Southern Africa, many organizations have moved past ‘digital experiments’ and into real, scaled customer journeys. WhatsApp, SMS, email and voice now work together on a single platform, often with AI in the background, to cut call volumes, speed up fraud checks and give customers faster, mobile-first service.” POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) has forced South African businesses to treat security and privacy as design principles, not afterthoughts. The result is that the most successful journeys are now both convenient and compliant - they meet customers on WhatsApp or SMS, but with clear consent, encryption and audit trails built in. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2026/03/dean-baker-2.png) Dean Baker, Squad Lead, Infobip South Africa KEY STATS Messaging app penetration Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 **South Africa** Pop. 64.7 M 70% WhatsApp 30% Telegram 15% Instagram 15% Messenger 10% RCS YoY growth Countries YoY growth Ghana 30% South Africa 8% South Africa 7% Tanzania 7% Channels Yoy growth WhatsApp 16% Email 21% SMS 11% Growth per industry Industries Channels YoY growth Telecoms South Africa 481% Tanzania 315% 174% Media & Entertainment Ghana 178% Nigeria 47% 25% ## Omnichannel usage Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Finance & Fintech SMS Voice & Video Email WhatsApp Retail & eCommerce SMS WhatsApp Voice & Video Email Telecoms SMS WhatsApp Voice & Video Social Media Insights provided by: Marthinus Jansen van Vuuren,Content Marketing Expert, Infobip South Africa ## Summary With a population of 1.47 billion people and over 1 billion mobile handsets in use, the messaging habits of consumers and businesses in the region have a significant impact on global trends. We saw this in 2022 when Google decided to disable RCS Business Messaging in the country due to many businesses in the region aggressively exploiting the channel to send unwanted messages. This led to a significant decrease in the global numbers for RCS on our platform. In 2025 after the Reserve Bank of India announced the phasing out of SMS OTP messages due to security concerns. Banks and payment providers must adopt alternative 2FA methods by April 2026 for domestic transactions and by October 2026 for cross-border payments. This has led to a 20% decrease in SMS messages in India in 2025, and we expect an even more significant drop off during 2026. TRENDS ## High RCS growth in some industries But overall growth slower than other regionsThe estimated RCS user base in India now stands at 550 million, out of a total smartphone base of 750-800 million users. Increasing end‑user familiarity with RCS has played a role in this growth, as customers are now clearly noticing the shift from traditional black‑and‑white SMS to a richer, more interactive inbox experience with branded messages, images, and buttons. However, with a 70% penetration rate for WhatsApp there is strong competition and many businesses continue to benchmark RCS performance against WhatsApp, particularly around engagement metrics. There is also a perception that RCS adoption is slower because it is not a pure peer‑to‑peer (P2P) channel like WhatsApp, and because end‑user awareness of full RCS capabilities is still evolving. Improving education both for brands and consumers remains key to unlocking the channel’s full potential. RCS does have a strategic advantage as it is telco‑managed, and telcos are incentivized to protect SMS revenues from erosion. Additionally, highly regulated sectors such as Banking and Insurance, which dominate transactional traffic, place strong emphasis on compliance, an area where RCS will be well positioned as SMS OTP messages are phased out in the country. Continued strong WhatsApp growth We have seen consistently high WhatsApp growth over past five years. Overall, there has been 314% growth between 2021 and 2025. ## India WhatsApp growth over 5 years WhatsApp usage is largely driven by broadcast use cases, however, we are also seeing strong adoption of conversational use cases, especially on the customer service side. The overall split is approximately 60:40, with conversational use cases primarily focused on customer support. WhatsApp Business Calling is also gaining further traction in India, with growing interest from enterprises and partners, particularly where WhatsApp is already a primary engagement channel. We completed several beta projects in 2025,andthere a several POCs active underway across Insurance, Retail, Healthcare, and Auto sectors. ## Messaging app penetration Country #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 **India** Pop. 1.47 B 70% WhatsApp 45% RCS 40% Instagram 30% Messenger 20%Telegram Channel YoY growth Channel growth YoY growth RCS 70% WhatsApp 21% Growth per industry Industries Channels YoY growth Marketing & Advertising RCS 29x Email 12x SMS 157% 270% Tech & Software RCS 11x Voice & Video 51% 40% India continues to influence global messaging trends at a scale few markets can match. As businesses embrace more secure, interactive, and experience-led communication, channels like WhatsApp and RCS are playing an increasingly important role in the evolution of customer engagement. This momentum is clearly reflected in our platform data, with WhatsApp growing 314% between 2021 and 2025, while RCS continues to expand its strategic role in richer, more trusted brand communication. ![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2026/03/unnamed-file.jpeg) Paritosh Gandhi India Sales Director ## Omnichannel usage Industry Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Finance & Fintech SMS WhatsApp RCS/Email Voice & Video Retail & eCommerce WhatsApp SMS RCS Email Telecoms SMS WhatsApp Email Voice and Video Insights provided by: Abhijeet Guha,Senior Content Marketing Specialist, Infobip India ## Shape the future of messaging with us Our custom solutions help businesses like yours lead the way. [ Contact us ](/contact)