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An Indonesian bank and one of the country's largest mobile-network operators plan to launch a test in which consumers tap Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones to pay for purchases. CardLine Global sister publication Cards&Payments has learned the NFC mobile phones will store a contactless electronic purse issued by Bank Mandiri. The bank, which bills itself as Indonesia's largest in terms of assets, already issues e-purse cards, a source tells Cards&Payments. Mobile telecommunications firm PT Indosat Tbk also will take part in the test. The test will be the latest of dozens of trials conducted worldwide of NFC technology, which enables mobile phones to act like contactless cards and readers and to exchange data in peer-to-peer mode. Few NFC payment trials, though, involve closed-loop contactless applications, such as the one Bank Mandiri will issue. Most use applications developed by Visa Inc. or MasterCard Worldwide.
