BlackBerry is investing some serious resources into its instant messaging client. Just when we saw it getting optimized for secure communication in the enterprise environment (BBM Protected), we’re hearing about some new plans involving mobile payments. That’s right, the Canadian company is apparently exploring an option to allow BBM users to beam money to one another like it’s an image or file.
This capability will primarily target users in the developing world where many banking customers don’t have access to in-person or online payment resources. In that sense, mobile payment-enabled BBM could come as real blessing, helping users not only stay connected but also getting paid.
At the moment, the biggest chunk of BlackBerry users is coming from Asian and African countries. In that sense adding mobile payment capabilities to BBM makes perfect sense, as many users in these markets are accustomed to rely on BlackBerry apps and services. Sounds like a plan. We’ll be on the lookout for additional details and let you know as soon as we have something new to add. Stay tuned in the meantime…
[Via: recode]