Bangladeshi operator Robi Axiata is joining Fortumo’s payments platform.
Merchants connected to Fortumo’s platform can now collect payments from more than 52 million Robi and Airtel subscribers through direct carrier billing.
Fortumo’s Unified SDK connects merchants to Robi and a network of hundreds of telcos and 30+ digital wallets through a single integration. Fortumo hosts and localises Unified SDK checkout flows on its platform, making it simple and scalable for merchants to launch local payment methods across the world.
In Bangladesh, credit card penetration is only 0.2% while 41% of people own a smartphone. For merchants, this creates the problem of having many users able to access services but without a payment method to pay for premium content. Carrier billing solves the problem by allowing any mobile device owner to charge payments to their phone bill instead.
“Demand for digital services is increasing among Bangladeshi consumers but one of the biggest barriers is the payment medium. With partners like Fortumo and carrier billing, it will be much easier to facilitate payments which will contribute us to better serve our customers,” said Ahmed Armaan Siddiqui, EVP of VAS & New Business at Robi Axiata Ltd.
“Adding local payment methods is the main way merchants can achieve rapid revenue growth in emerging markets. Our aim at Fortumo is to make launching those otherwise complex payment methods as simple as possible for merchants,” added Martin Lips, VP of Business Development at Fortumo.
