Monitise Regulatory News (MONI)

19 Mar 2008 12:43

Monitise PLC19 March 2008 19 March, 2008 MONITISE LAUNCHES MONIGIVE - CHANGING THE WORLD FROM YOUR MOBILE Monitise adds charitable giving capability to its mobile banking & payments ecosystems Monitise plc (LSE: MONI.L) today announced the launch of MoniGive, a servicewhich will enable consumers to make charity donations directly from their bankaccount using the Monitise secure mobile banking and payments service.Charitable organisations will be able to connect into Monitise's multi-bank,multi-mobile operator mobile banking & payments ecosystems (MONILINK in the UKand Monitise Americas in North America), providing a swift and convenient meansfor receiving donations. Annual charitable donations from individuals areestimated at £8.6 billion* and $222.89 billion** in the UK and USA respectively. MoniGive allows charities of any size to receive immediate, non-repudiabledonations directly from consumers' bank or card accounts. The service isaccessed via the secure Monitise application, making the mobile phone a virtual'collection box'. Furthermore, using the secure messaging service which isintegrated into the Monitise service, MoniGive enables charities to contactcustomers, on an opt-in basis, with a call to action to which they can respondimmediately. This is especially beneficial in large disaster-relief campaignswhere a timely response is critical. Payments made via MoniGive are fully automated, ensuring that charities benefitfrom low collection costs. Consumers will have the convenience of managing theircharity accounts alongside their bank accounts in a secure application on theirmobile phone. They will be able to give to their chosen charity without havingto research or remember payee details or wait until they can get online or callthe contact centre. MoniGive also encourages responsible giving by allowingconsumers to check their balances from the same, secure application beforemaking a donation. Finally, consistent with Monitise's ecosystem approach, MoniGive uses existingpayment systems to minimise integration for participating organisations. Thisensures that up-front costs are kept to a minimum, while ensuring that schemessuch as Gift Aid continue to be delivered in a seamless manner. John Logan, social innovation consultant and former director of the VodafoneGroup Foundation commented: "I am delighted that Monitise is launching MoniGive.Society is more aware than ever of the needs of the less fortunate and donorswant their money to have the maximum impact. They want any delay andadministration costs to be kept to an absolute minimum. MoniGive will probablybe the most cost effective and speedy donation mechanism available to anyonethinking of giving money to a charitable cause. The charitable organisationsthat we have consulted have been very enthusiastic about this new service." Richard Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer at Monitise Group added: "Ourecosystems already connect consumers of many banks and mobile operators in theUK and USA, allowing them to control their funds using a simple and secureapplication on their handset. It has always been a priority for us to extend thebenefits of this secure, low cost channel to the charities sector, providingconsumers with a convenient way of managing their donations, while also creatingan easily deployable fundraising route in situations where speed is of theessence. "I suspect that many of us have experienced the frustration of wanting tocontribute to a good cause, but then finding it hard to find a way to actuallymake the payment. We hope that MoniGive will help address this issue." * Source: Unbiased.co.uk - TaxAction Report January 2008** Source: Giving USA - June 2007 Contacts: Monitise Group Tel: 020 7868 5200Duncan McIntyre, ChairmanAlastair Lukies, CEOBen Evetts, Head of Communications Financial Dynamics Tel: 020 7831 3113Harriet KeenHaya ChelhotErwan Gouraud About Monitise plc Monitise plc (MONI.L) is a specialist in mobile banking & payments technology.It has developed the world's first mobile banking ecosystems, which allowcustomers of multiple banks and mobile operators to perform banking and paymenttransactions directly from their mobile handset. With live services in the UK and the USA, where it has delivered the MONILINKand Monitise networks in partnership with VocaLink and Metavante Corporationrespectively, the Company is currently working with international partners todeliver similar safe, secure mobile banking & payment services in territoriesworldwide. Current key partners include VocaLink Interchange Network, Metavante,BT Global Services, T-Systems, HSBC, first direct, Alliance & Leicester, RoyalBank of Scotland, NatWest, Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Hutchison 3G. Monitise was recognised as a 'Technology Pioneer' by the World Economic Forum in2006; 'Mobile Innovation of the Year' by The Banker Magazine in 2007 and awardedthe Innovation in Messaging Award 2007 by the Mobile Messaging Association. www.monitisegroup.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange