Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech unicorn CRED, is stepping away from his operational role to become Global Head of WhatsApp at Meta. The move lands alongside a landmark US$900m primary and secondary investment from Meta into CRED, with strategy and finance chief Miten Sampat stepping in as interim CEO.
A Fintech Founder Heads to Meta
Kunal Shah has announced he is stepping away from his day-to-day role at CRED to take on the position of Global Head of WhatsApp at Meta. The high-profile appointment coincides with a substantial US$900m capital injection from Meta into CRED, structured as a mix of primary and secondary investment.
Under the terms of the deal, Meta enters as a minority investor with no access to member data, a detail that underscores the sensitivity around user privacy in a platform built around financial transactions and credit management.
With Kunal transitioning out of daily operations, CRED's strategy and finance chief Miten Sampat will step in as interim CEO. Miten has played a central role in CRED's fundraising and investment strategy over the years and now faces the task of steering the platform through a high-stakes leadership transition.
From Fintech to Global Scale
Kunal brings a storied background in consumer technology and digital finance to Meta. After exiting his previous startup, FreeCharge, in 2015, he launched CRED in 2018 with just US$1m of personal capital, built around the idea of rewarding consumers for paying their credit card bills on time.
Between 2019 and 2025, Kunal scaled CRED from zero to 17 million members, expanding the platform into payments, lending, insurance and wealth management. That growth pushed annual revenues to approximately US$325m, and by 2026 CRED had recorded its first profitable quarter.
"While it's come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive. I look forward to working with Mark, Chris and the leadership across Meta for the next step in WhatsApp's journey."— KUNAL SHAH, INCOMING GLOBAL HEAD OF WHATSAPP, META