Fortumo opens Singapore office, emphasizes Asia Pacific’s leading role in digital purchases

Another player in mobile gaming has expanded to Southeast Asia. This time it is Estonia-based mobile payments company Fortumo, which has announced the opening of a new office Singapore.

The company provides carrier billing services throughout Asia. At present, this includes 12 different Asia Pacific markets, from Australia to Vietnam. Gerri Kodres summed up the rationale for the move in a press release sent to Games in Asia. Kodres, the SVP of business development and carrier relations at Fortumo, says:

Carrier billing has grown to be one of the most popular payment methods for users in the Asia Pacific. With a large population, high smartphone ownership, and low credit card penetration, the region will be one of the key growth drivers of mobile payments in the upcoming years.

Fortumo’s services boast support for gaming companies like Rovio, Gameloft, and EA Mobile. Its platform also works with the storefronts of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. It’s worth noting, they’re the only such mobile payment solution to have originated in the West and to be available in China at present. The company cites the Asia Pacific region as the world’s leader in digital gaming sales, in particular. It estimates the value of these gaming sales to approach US$18 billion in 2014.

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The Singapore offices joins the company’s existing Asian offices in China and India. Fortumo continues to add to its ongoing list of partnerships with mobile operators. Its list of current partners now exceeds 300. The company has also expanded its carrier billing services to include physical goods. This thanks to the opening of a store in Singapore, with the company teaming up with Rovio and SingTel.