Monitise Regulatory News (MONI)

22 May, 2013

BBM Money service exceeds 60,000 registrations within 90 days of launch

Service launched with BlackBerry creates low-cost customer acquisition opportunities

for PermataBank

Mobile Money leader Monitise plc (LSE: MONI.L) today announced the early success of BBM Money, the P2P mobile payments service launched through its Joint Venture with Astra International (AGIT Monitise Indonesia) in partnership with Indonesian financial institution PT Bank Permata Tbk (PermataBank) and BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB). Since going live at the end of February 2013, the service has attracted more than 60,000 registered users towards its end of 2013 target of 200,000.

BBM Money gives BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) customers in Indonesia the ability to instantly create and access a Mobile Money account from their BlackBerry smartphone and make real-time payments to their BBM contacts who are also signed up to the service, at any time from wherever they are. The simple and secure service also enables users to buy mobile airtime credit and transfer money to bank accounts. Uniquely the service is integrated with BBM itself, allowing the user to be in a chat, make a peer-to-peer payment and return to the same conversation. BBM Money can be used by consumers with access to the service regardless of whether they have a PermataBank bank account.

PermataBank Retail Banking Director Lauren Sulistiawati commented: "We are delighted with the level of customer adoption that we have experienced so far. The popularity of the service is another indication that mobile plays a key role in the future of the banking and payments industry across Indonesia. We have also been particularly excited by the way in which BBM Money has quickly opened up a new, direct route to new-to-bank customers. The ability to engage with new customers and significantly lower the cost of customer acquisition is a real advantage for any financial institution."

Calvin Lim, Director of AGIT Monitise, commented: "We are encouraged by the adoption trend and customer usage to date. The service can only become more popular as more functionalities are added in the near future."

Indonesia has a mobile penetration of 111%*. BlackBerry is the number one selling mobile smartphone, constituting more than half of all smartphones sold in market. Darren Sugden, CEO of Monitise Asia Pacific, said, "It is great to see such a positive early response to BBM Money. As the first comprehensive Mobile Money service in the world to be integrated with any messaging platform, pioneering the approach of turning a social network into a payments network, BBM Money brings second-to-none convenience to Indonesian consumers and businesses. The success of the service in a major world economy which is ideally suited to this type of innovation is a great example of how the financial industry can capitalise on the fast-growing mobile, payments and banking space to meet the day-to-day needs of the consumer."

Alastair Lukies, Chief Executive of Monitise Group, said: "Monitise stands by its belief that the evolution of Mobile Money has the power to transform lives. This is increasingly becoming a reality with the launch of mass-market services like BBM Money. By working closely with our trusted partners we have created a service that meets the exact needs of consumers in this market whilst also supporting key strategic business objectives of the bank. We look forward to continuing to help financial institutions move beyond mobile banking to enable their customers to also pay and buy via their phone."

For information about BBM Money, please visit id.blackberry.com/BBMMoney

NOTES TO EDITORS

*Business Monitor International's Asia's Risk/Reward Ratings analysis for the telecoms sector

About PermataBank

PT Bank Permata Tbk (PermataBank) has grown to be a major bank within Indonesian banking sector that offers innovative and comprehensive banking products and services, especially with its delivery channels that are equipped with Internet Banking and Mobile Banking features. PermataBank envisions to be the pioneer in delivering innovative financial solutions. Serving approximately two million customers in 58 cities in Indonesia, the Bank runs 300 branch offices (13 of which are dedicated to sharia banking & 287 conventional banking), 15 mobile branches, three Payment Points, 818 ATMs accessible from a network comprising 50,000 ATMs (VisaPlus, Visa Electron, MC, Alto, ATM Bersama and ATM Prima) and millions of ATMs around the world which connected with our network of Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus.

The latest recognition on PermataBank's outstanding achievement includes 3 Stevie Awards received in the 9th International Business Awards (IBA) 2012: from ELT Forum as the "Internal Communications Campaign/Program of the Year" (Silver Award), from Unite for Education (UFE) as "Public Service Campaign of the Year" (Silver Award) and from Life Skills through Soccer Development School, CSR Program as "Community Relations Campaign of the Year" (Bronze Award); and also, Best Domestic Provider of FX Services in Indonesia from Asiamoney, MURI Award for being the pioneer of four innovative services in Indonesia and various breakthroughs in customer service: being the first bank that offers online account opening at branch offices using Tablet computer (Permata e-form), the first bank that guarantees maximum waiting time at tellers' windows of eight minutes, winning the highest score of call center service for seven consecutive times (won by PermataTel), and the first domestic bank that has launched navigator service (transaction and payment notifications) for credit card holders. Additionally, PermataBank has also been awarded the second rank for Best Customer Service by MRI-InfoBank 2011/2012, "Fixed Income Poll 2011 - Overall Best Domestic Credit Service Provider in Indonesia and Foreign Exchange Poll 2011 - Best Domestic Provider of FX Services in Indonesia as voted by Corporates" by AsiaMoney, the Best in Building and Managing Corporate Image in the category of domestic banks with total assets below Rp 100 trillion in Corporate Image Award 2011 organized by Bloomberg Business Week and Frontier Consulting Group, and the Best Mobile Phone Banking in Asia Pacific in International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Award 2011 of the Asian Bankers. More information about PermataBank is available on its website http://www.permatabank.com

About AGIT Monitise Indonesia

PT AGIT Monitise Indonesia is a joint venture between Monitise Asia Pacific and Astra Graphia Information Technology (AGIT) created to bring a full range of secure mobile banking, payment and commerce services to Indonesia. AGIT, established in 2004, is an information and communication technology business and part of PT Astra Graphia Tbk (IDX: ASGR), a majority-owned subsidiary of PT Astra International Tbk (IDX: ASII). As at 31 December 2012, Astra employed over 185,850 people in 170 companies, including subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities and is one of the largest publicly-listed companies in Indonesia. More information is available at www.agitmonitise.com 

About Monitise Asia Pacific

Monitise Asia Pacific is a 50/50 joint venture between Monitise plc and First Eastern Mobile Investments Ltd, part of the First Eastern Investment Group, created in 2010 to develop mobile banking, payment and commerce services in the Asia Pacific region. First Eastern is a leading Hong Kong-based investment group pioneering in the field of direct investments in China founded by Victor Chu in 1988. More information is available at www.monitise.com/ap  

About Monitise

Monitise (LSE: MONI) is a world leader in Mobile Money - banking, paying and buying with a mobile device. Leading banks, payments companies, retailers and mobile networks utilise Monitise's technology platforms and services to securely connect people with their money. 

Already over 20 million consumers benefit from our patented technology to 'bank anywhere', 'pay anyone' and 'buy anything' accounting for over $30 billion of payments, purchases and transfers annually. More information is available at www.monitise.com

For further information

Monitise plc Tel: +44(0)203 657 0900

Duncan McIntyre, Chairman

Alastair Lukies, Chief Executive Officer

Lee Cameron, Chief Commercial Officer

Brad Petzer, Chief Financial Officer

Mike Keyworth, Chief Operating Officer

Investor Relations

Haya Herbert-Burns Tel: +44(0)203 657 0366

Haya.herbert-burns@monitise.com

Media Relations

Gavin Haycock Tel: +44(0)203 657 0362

Gavin.haycock@monitise.com

Canaccord Genuity

Simon Bridges Tel: +44(0)20 7523 8000

Cameron Duncan

FTI Consulting Tel: +44(0)20 7831 3113

Charles Palmer

Jon Snowball