Direct carrier billing, significantly increases the amount of users who are able to make online payments. In the Philippines, only 3% of Filipinos have access to a credit card while smartphone penetration has reached 40%and is forecasted to grow to 70% during the next 2 years. With Fortumo and Globe, more people will be able to make payments online through carrier billing compared to bank-based payments.

"The continuous rise in smartphone penetration alongside the drastic adoption of the digital lifestyle has made more and more Filipinos dependent on their mobile devices. Customers continue to be on the lookout for a better mobile experience including conveniences such as making payments. With Fortumo, we will be able to provide our customers an improved experience by providing the convenience of making payments on any app store, including the in-app purchases,” said Dan Horan, Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business.

"Fortumo has been the preferred choice for carriers in Asia because of our strong focus on the region and local presence. Our industry-leading platform is capable of delivering all major segments of the digital ecosystem to carriers. This includes large app stores, music and video streaming services, game developers and social networks. We are very excited to partner with Globe and enable direct carrier billing to their subscribers with some of the largest digital media companies in the world," said Gerri Kodres, Chief Business Officer at Fortumo.

Besides app stores such as Google Play and Windows Phone Store, Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform is used by Asia’s leading streaming providers, including Sony, HOOQ and Gaana as well as top game developers and device manufacturers like UCWeb (Alibaba), Tencent and Huawei.

In addition to digital content, Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform also supports payment processing for financial services, such as topping up virtual credit cards or wallets. This is achieved through token-based, two step charging. “We are seeing a growing interest from financial service providers in leveraging carrier billing in Asia for use in their payment products. We expect the first initiatives in this segment to take off during 2016,” added Gerri Kodres.

Previously, Fortumo has launched direct carrier billing with the other mobile operators in the Philippines. The newly formed partnership with Globe means Fortumo now covers 100% of the mobile subscriber base in the country. In the Asia Pacific region, Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform is available in 17 countries to more than 1.6 billion mobile users.

About Globe Telecom

Globe Telecom is a leading full service telecommunications company in the Philippines, serving the needs of consumers and businesses across an entire suite of products and services including mobile, fixed, broadband, data connections, internet and managed services. Its principals are Ayala Corporation and Singtel who are acknowledged industry leaders in the country and in the region. For more information, visit www.globe.com.ph. Follow Globe Telecom on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GlobePH and @enjoyglobe on Twitter and Instagram.

About Fortumo

Fortumo is a mobile payments company that enables direct carrier billing with more than 350 mobile operators in 90+ countries. Fortumo's payment products work across a wide range of platforms including desktop devices, smartphones, feature phones, tablets and smart TV-s. These products give end-users a simple, 1-click payment method to charge online purchases to their phone bill. For carriers, connecting to Fortumo enables additional revenue from leading app stores, game developers and digital media companies while Fortumo takes care of the technical infrastructure, taxation, merchant on-boarding and support in post-launch activities. Founded in 2007, Fortumo has offices in Estonia, San Francisco, Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore and London and is backed by Intel Capital and Greycroft Partners. For more information, please visit https://fortumo.com.

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