Indonesian financial institution PT Bank Permata Tbk (PermataBank), BlackBerry and Monitise have announced the commercial pilot launch of BBM Money. This is the first mobile payments service within BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Developed by PT AGIT Monitise Indonesia (AGIT Monitise Indonesia), the joint venture between Monitise Asia Pacific and Astra Graphia Information Technology (AGIT), part of Astra International Group, and issued and managed by PermataBank, BBM Money enables customers to load cash into it from an Indonesian bank account. PermataBank will issue BBM Money mobile money accounts and process financial transactions. The service is protected by such security measures as a passcode, encryption, monitoring, and limits as required by PermataBank under Bank Indonesia regulations.

David Fletcher, president director at PermataBank, says: "We are pleased to team up with our strategic partners in developing this innovative and revolutionary service and we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the regulators, especially Bank Indonesia, for the support in the process. This initiative is a response to growing customers and society needs of easy and convenient banking services by using their smartphone. This is in line with our vision to be the pioneer in delivering innovative financial solutions and also reflects our support to Bank Indonesia’s concept of a cashless society in Indonesia."

Lauren Sulistiawati, retail banking director at PermataBank, comments: “This is a game-changing innovation as the transactions can be performed as easy as chatting on BBM and the customer can create their mobile money account directly on their BlackBerry smartphone. We are very delighted to tailor this solution for BlackBerry smartphones that are widely used in Indonesia, which will allow us to simplify the life of millions of BlackBerry customers in Indonesia. Another crucial aspect of BBM Money is that it gives customers total trust and confidence in the security of the service. With PermataBank as the issuing bank and AGIT Monitise Indonesia behind the service, BBM Money customers know they have a partner with proven bank-grade standards that gives them the assurance and certainty they are looking for.”

“We are delighted that Indonesia is the first country in the world to develop a person-to-person payment service using BBM,” says Calvin Lim, director at AGIT Monitise Indonesia. “BlackBerry smartphones are the favourite phones of most Indonesians, with BBM being its most popular and indispensable service. BBM Money will enable BlackBerry customers to make fast, easy and secure mobile payments.”

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