Blackberry has partnered with Indonesia's PT Bank Permata along with a mobile payment provider Monitise to launch a pilot program for a new service that allows BlackBerry users to transfer money to their contacts using the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service.

BBM Money allows users to create and access a mobile money account from their BlackBerry smartphones and make real-time payments to their BBM contacts who are also signed up to the service, the leading mobile payment provider Monitise said in a press release.

"We are delighted that Indonesia is the first country in the world to develop a person-to-person payment service using BBM," said Calvin Lim, Director of AGIT Monitise Indonesia. "BlackBerry smartphones are the favorite 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."

According to a report from Bloomberg, the Waterloo-based mobile maker is working with PT Bank Permata of Indonesia in a hope to rival messenger services such as WhatsApp Messenger. However the company believes that it is offering customers a simpler solution to transfer and manage their money.

"With BBM Money, BlackBerry customers can enjoy an easy, convenient and secure mobile money transaction anytime and anywhere. We are committed to work with partners to bring services to BlackBerry customers in Indonesia that can enrich their mobile lifestyle," said Maspiyono Handoyo, Managing Director for Indonesia at BlackBerry.

With a simple registration process within the app, BBM users can create a BBM Money account with the bank and then start loading cash into their account through any of the 70,000 ATMs in Indonesia. Customers can also pay for mobile airtime or prepaid SIM cards for their family and friends.

"BlackBerry leads the mobile and smartphone market in Indonesia, where BBM is extremely popular with our customers," said T.A. McCann, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at BlackBerry. "BBM Money, which uses BlackBerry's BBM service, further evolves the BBM experience to move from real-time chat to meaningful and convenient real-time engagement. We are excited to be part of this pilot in Indonesia, where BBM has become an essential part of daily life."

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:

To contact the editor, e-mail: