Kunal Shah Exits CRED For Global WhatsApp Role As Meta Leads $900M Round At $4.5B Valuation

Meta is anchoring a $900M investment in CRED at a $4.5B valuation, while founder Kunal Shah steps back to lead WhatsApp globally. Mithun Sana takes over as interim CEO. The move signals Meta's deeper push into India's payments stack, intensifying competition with PhonePe and Google Pay.

— Source publishedTue, 23 Jun, 2026, 14:26 IST·First seen Tue, 23 Jun, 2026, 14:32 IST·Source Business Today · Latest

What happened

Cred · Meta is leading a $900M round in CRED at a $4.5B valuation. Founder Kunal Shah will step back from CRED to take a global WhatsApp role; Mithun Sana

Key facts

  • $900M
  • $4.5B valuation

Why this matters

Meta's deeper India payments push via CRED reshapes the competitive map against PhonePe and Google Pay—evaluate partnership, distribution, or defensive M&A options in adjacent fintech rails.