Glossary
What is a Meta business portfolio (formerly Business Manager)?
The top-level Meta container (formerly Business Manager) that owns a company's WhatsApp accounts, ad accounts and pages, and now carries the WhatsApp messaging limit.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Business portfolio: A business portfolio is the top-level container in Meta's business tools, formerly called Business Manager, that represents one company. It owns that company's WhatsApp Business Accounts, Facebook Pages, ad accounts and catalogs, and controls who can access them. For WhatsApp, business verification is done on the portfolio, and since October 2025 the messaging limit is set per portfolio and shared by all its numbers.
Also called: Business Manager, Meta Business Manager, Business account (Meta)
What a business portfolio holds
Think of the Meta business portfolio as the legal identity of your company inside Meta. Everything else hangs off it:
| Asset | Why it matters for WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business Accounts | Hold your API numbers and templates |
| People and partners | Decide who can manage numbers, templates and billing |
| System users | Non-human users whose tokens let software send messages |
| Catalogs | Product data used in product and catalog messages |
| Business verification | Proves the portfolio belongs to a real, registered business |
Meta renamed Business Manager to business portfolio, so older help pages and videos use the old name. They mean the same thing.
Why WhatsApp limits now sit on the portfolio
Since 8 Oct 2025 the messaging limit, the number of unique customers you can reach outside the 24-hour window in a rolling day, is set per business portfolio and shared by all its numbers. The old 1K tier was removed, so the steps are 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and Unlimited. Adding a second number therefore does not double your reach; both numbers draw on the same portfolio limit.
Business verification also happens here. A verified portfolio is one of the paths to the 2,000 tier and allows up to 20 phone numbers instead of 2, though Meta still reviews each case.
Example
Arjun owns a coaching institute in Kota. His cousin set up a business portfolio years ago for Facebook ads, under the cousin's personal account. When Arjun wants the WhatsApp API, he first makes himself an admin of that portfolio, completes business verification with the institute's GST certificate, and only then connects a number. Had he skipped this, the WhatsApp account would sit in a portfolio he did not control.
Common mistakes
- Creating a fresh portfolio for every project. Verification, limits and templates then get split across portfolios.
- Letting an agency own the portfolio. Give the agency partner access to your portfolio instead.
- Having only one admin. If that person leaves, recovery is slow. Add a second admin you trust.
In Broadchat
When you connect a number in Channels → All Channels, Meta's Embedded Signup pop-up asks you to choose or create a business portfolio before it creates the WhatsApp account. Choose your company's own portfolio. The setup guide walks through each screen, and what the WhatsApp Business API is explains how the pieces fit together.
Related terms
Sources
- Messaging limits — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Platform changelog — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Business phone numbers — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a business portfolio the same as Business Manager?
Yes. Meta renamed Business Manager to business portfolio. The structure, assets and permissions are the same; only the name and some screens changed.
Can one business portfolio have several WhatsApp numbers?
Yes. An unverified portfolio starts with up to 2 phone numbers; after business verification or reaching the 2,000 tier it can have up to 20. All of them share the portfolio's messaging limit.
Do I need a Facebook Page to create a business portfolio?
You need a personal Facebook or Meta account to create and administer a portfolio. A Facebook Page is useful but WhatsApp onboarding does not depend on one.