Facebook launched its digital wallet for cryptocurrencies, called Novi, in most of the United States and one Central American nation on Tuesday.

The wallet will allow users to send money in a standalone app or in messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, the company said.

"The purpose of the pilot is for us to affirm our readiness and show that our Novi systems ... are serving customers well," Novi chief David Marcus said in a statement.

Novi was rolled out on Tuesday in most of the United States and Guatemala, officials said.

Facebook said the rollout is a small pilot to test the new digital crypto wallet, which deals in the Paxos Dollar and is managed by Coinbase.

The company started the pilot on Tuesday, however, without the Diem -- which is Facebook's own planned cryptocurrency. Facebook announced in December that it was switching the name of its payment system from Libra to Diem.

Diem is still pending regulatory approval and has not yet been introduced anywhere.

"Our support for Diem has not changed," Marcus added. "We intend to migrate Novi to the Diem payment network once it receives regulatory approval."

Last year, Facebook also changed the name of its wallet from Calibra to Novi.

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