The Central Bank of Ireland has granted an e-money licence to Facebook, which will allow the company to launch P2P payments through its Messenger app across Europe.

The licence was granted to Facebook Payments International Limited (FBPIL) in October 2016.

It will enable Facebook users to issue donations to charities registered in the European Economic Area (EEA); and peer-to-peer payments.

Since Ireland is a member of the European Union, Facebook will be able to offer its payment services throughout the other 27 EU member states.

Until this point, the payment service only worked in the US.