Barclays this week announced that it will be the first British bank to enable consumers to pay each other and small businesses using just their Twitter handle. 

Launching on both Android phones and iOS devices next month, Twitter payments through the Pingit person-to-person payments app will expand the existing service to social media and a potential 13.5 million Twitter users in the U.K. The service will be available to all Pingit customers whether or not they bank with Barclays.

To sign up, users can link their Twitter handle to their Pingit profile under the app settings. Payments to friends, family and even small businesses are then completed in three clicks. Users log into Pingit and then enter the Twitter handle or select a payee from the contact list to make the payment.

"We are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to make people’s lives easier and customer feedback plays a big part in how we chose to further develop our apps, said Darren Foulds, director of Barclays Mobile Banking and Pingit. "Adding the ability to pay people or a small business using just a Twitter handle brings together a social and digital experience to create a new step forward for mobile payments in the U.K."

Launched in 2012, Pingit has now received 3.7 million downloads and over £1 billion ($1.5 billion) has been sent using the app.