BlackBerry Announces Mobile Payments Initiative in Indonesia

BlackBerry, formerly RIM, is rolling out a new mobile payments service after launching BlackBerry 10 earlier this year in an attempt to remake its brand. The company announced plans today to provide a mobile payments service, called BBM Money, through BlackBerry Messenger to customers in Indonesia. The service was created in conjunction with an Indonesian bank and with the support of AGIT Monitise Indonesia, a joint venture of Monitise and Astra International Group, a statement released today by Monitise said.

[See Related: Monitise Adds Mint to Its Mobile Money Platform for Banks]

BBM Money is awaiting approval from Indonesia’s central bank before the service will be piloted in Indonesia ahead of a full launch, the statement said. The service allows customers to access a mobile money account from their BlackBerry smartphone and make real-time payments to their BlackBerry Messenger contacts who also have the service, buy mobile airtime credit and make bank account transfers, according to the statement.

Jonathan Camhi has been an associate editor with Bank Systems & Technology since 2012. He previously worked as a freelance journalist in New York City covering politics, health and immigration, and has a master's degree from the City University of New York's Graduate School ... View Full Bio