Facebook’s bill for WhatsApp climbs to $21.8 billion

Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp Messenger has ended up being even more expensive than it originally thought.

After receiving European, the deal has closed. The final combination of cash, stock and management incentives that Facebook is paying for the wildly popular chat app now totals $21.8 billion. That figure is above the $19 billion stated when the deal was first announced, because Facebook's share price has risen more than 13 per cent since mid-February to $77.29 on Oct 6. Over the same period, WhatsApp's usage has continued to grow rapidly.