Hidden code shows TikTok testing a Venmo-style payments feature in DMs - Startup Fortune

Bloomberg found code in TikTok's US iPhone app for sending money inside direct messages, with notes, expiry windows and a tap-to-accept flow that looks a lot like Venmo. That doesn't mean a launch is certain, but it shows ByteDance wants payments to sit closer to conversation, not only shopping. TikTok didn't announce this. According to Bloomberg's August 18 report, the code was buried inside the app and points to a peer-to-peer payments feature for US users, built directly into TikTok's direct messages. A TikTok spokesperson told Bloomberg the feature isn't being tested in any market yet. That caveat matters. Companies leave unfinished features in code all the time, and some never ship. But code is still intent. Nobody writes a money-transfer flow with expiring payments and optional notes by accident, especially inside an app whose US future has already been argued over in Congress, court filings and the White House. The Code Points Past Shopping TikTok already has payment machinery outside the US. Its Southeast Asia seller documents show TikTok Shop works across markets including Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, with sellers linking bank accounts and payment providers handling settlement. TikTok Pay itself has been reported in Vietnam, where TikTok Shop's payment service privacy policy names PIPO and IOMedia JSC in connection with payment services and the TikTok Pay e-wallet. Person-to-person transfers are different. TikTok Shuts Its Nashville Office Two Years After Signing the Lease TikTok is closing its Nashville office and laying off everyone who worked there, just two years after signing a 58,000-square-foot lease on Music Row. The closure comes even after ByteDance resolved its long U.S. ownership fight in January 2026, showing the cost-cutting hasn't eased. - TikTok closes Nashville Music Row office - TikTok layoffs after ownership settlement fight Buying a shirt during a livestream is commerce. Sending a friend $20 inside a DM is a social habit, and habits are where Venmo, Cash App and Zelle have built their defenses. TikTok has the one thing those apps can't easily buy: attention. You already open it, message inside it, share videos inside it and sometimes buy from it. The hard part isn't distribution. It's trust. The Regulator Problem Is Obvious Any other app quietly exploring payments would be a neat product story. TikTok isn't any other app. On January 22, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC was established under the US deal meant to keep the service operating in the country, with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each holding 15 percent and ByteDance retaining 19.9 percent, according to the company announcement carried by Silver Lake. Adam Presser was named CEO of the new US venture. The same announcement said the venture would cover US user data, apps, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance. The Guardian also reported that the recommendation system would be retrained, tested and updated using US user data, with Oracle involved in oversight. Those are not small promises. They are the whole political bargain. Now add money. The official announcement said TikTok's US operation reaches more than 200 million Americans and 7.5 million businesses. If even a slice of those users start sending money inside TikTok messages, lawmakers will not treat it as a harmless add-on. They spent years asking who could see American user data. The next question writes itself: who can touch American payment data? Here's the thing. TikTok's US restructuring may answer one set of national security questions on paper, but a DM payments feature creates a new one in practice. Payment apps are not judged only by whether they work. They are judged by fraud controls, dispute handling, bank partners, identity checks and the dull, necessary plumbing that keeps ordinary users from losing money. That part is real. Bloomberg was clear that TikTok has not confirmed a live test, and there may never be a US launch. Still, the direction is plain enough. ByteDance has spent years turning TikTok from entertainment into shopping, livestream selling and creator income. Payments are the next logical layer, but in the US they come with a price: every product decision becomes a political decision too. Also read: Rapidus Says Its 2nm Chips Will Cost $10,000 Less Than TSMC's • Baidu's Profit Crashed 68% While Its GPU Cloud Business Surged 283% • Perplexity's downloads crashed 90% in India but its revenue jumped anyway The EU found TikTok guilty of failing to protect children and every consumer app founder in Europe should take note The EU issued preliminary findings on July 24, 2026 that TikTok violated the Digital Services Act by exposing children's accounts to adults, pushing ByteDance's European regulatory bill past €875 million. The ruling is a live signal to every consumer app founder in Europe that DSA enforcement is now a product-level risk, not a compliance checkbox. - EU child safety requirements for apps - TikTok Digital Services Act violations explained TOPICS ByteDance how to send money through tiktok direct messages TikTok TikTok Pay TikTok Pay US expansion 2026 TikTok peer to peer payments DM tiktok testing venmo style payments feature in dms Venmo Cash App competitor Judith Murphy More posts by this author → Judith Murphy is a financial journalist and market analyst covering AI, technology stocks, and emerging market trends. She has contributed to multiple financial publications and brings a data-driven approach to her coverage of the technology sector and its impact on global markets. 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