JAKARTA, INDONESIA – BlackBerry will introduce its BBM Money service for Android, BlackBerry and iPhone users in Indonesia early next year, the company announced Thursday.
Developed by Monitise and issued and managed by PermataBank, BBM Money will enable payments in participating retail stores and online, while continuing to benefit from bank-grade security measures including passcodes and encryption and leveraging the company’s expertise and legacy in security and privacy, reads the news release.
BBM Money was initially introduced in early 2013 to BlackBerry users, offering basic mobile wallet service. The new BBM Money will also be made available to Android and iOS smartphone users, regardless of who they bank with or whether they have a bank account.
Earlier this year, BlackBerry launched BBM Channels giving Indonesia's largest brands and retailers a social presence on BBM. "Many of these brands and retailers have a huge following on BBM," said Matthew Talbot, BlackBerry’s SVP for emerging solutions, in the release. "When you realize the amount of time that is spent using BBM to engage with friends, family and now brands, linking payments was a logical extension."
BBM will also integrate with TransferTo's airtime transfer services – meaning users can send prepaid mobile credit to their contacts overseas, seamlessly from within the BBM app. The company said that this will be available for all users later this year.
