Local firm ties up with Facebook
0 Comments | New Straits Times, Jul 19, 2010
FACEBOOK is partnering with a Malaysian company to sell credits at retail outlets across Asia for the first time, aiming to make it easier for millions of people to purchase virtual goods and play games on the social networking site while boosting revenue for developers.
Electronic payments company MOL will offer the online currency from Aug 1 at more than 500,000 outlets including 7-Eleven stores, Internet cafes and online banks in five Southeast Asian countries, India, Australia and New Zealand.
The move targets people who don’t have a credit card, particularly younger Facebook users, and those who don’t want to take the risk of making electronic payments online.
MOL already sells prepaid credits for other online games at its established network of stores, but it will be the first time that consumers can buy credits for Facebook’s applications, including such popular games as Mob Wars and FarmVille, without credit cards.
MOL had last year bought social networking site Friendster.
In Southeast Asia, the credits will be sold in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
More than 70 per cent of Facebook members use applications, and payment transactions and volume have seen a double-digit increase over the last few quarters, according to MOL.