IFC Advances Mobile Banking Transformation
Friday, 29 February, 2008 | 21:44 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank’s subsidiary, asked Bank Indonesia and the Indonesian government to observe the opportunity of mobile banking transformation development.

According to IFC’s Small Medium Enterprise Operations Officer, A. Bido Budiman, the regulation is needed to guarantee that the system is safe, affordable and easily accessible. “The regulation is important so that it benefits all sides,” he said during the “Realizing the Potential of Mobile Banking “ seminar in the Dharmawangsa Hotel, yesterday (28/2)

IFC Sector Leader for Access to Finance for Asia-Pacific, Brigit Helms, said by this model, cellular phone users can use the bank’s services despite the fact that they don’t have any account or Internet access. She said that the model was successfully implemented in other developing countries, such as South Africa and the Philippines.

Earlier, PT Telekomunikasi Selular, a cellular operator, stated having applied for a permit of money transfer via cellular phone in January. Telkomsel’s Director of Planning and Development, Syarif Syarial Ahmad, estimated the license will be issued this March.

A senior media analyst at the BI’s Accounting and Payment System Directorate, Puji Atmoko, said the institution is still studying the transaction model. According to him, it is not a problem if an operator cooperates with a bank. An operator must also be sure that a cellular phone number really belongs to the phone’s owner. “The sender must be clear, also the receiver.”

Agoeng Wijaya