Banking & Finance News South Africa

Cinema group launches digital currency

Keen to shop online but don't have a credit card? With the launch of a new digital ecurrency, you can book to see a movie at Ster-Kinekor Theatres via your cellphone or the Internet - but without having to carry plastic.

MIMONEY, backed by Standard Bank, is a new e-currency that can be used to buy movie tickets and airtime through Ster-Kinekor, and shop online at Kalahari.net. It's quick, easy, safe - and your cellphone effectively becomes your wallet.

Commenting on the cinema group being one of the first retailers to accept MIMONEY, and the first agent to sell it, CEO Fiaz Mahomed said, “Up until now a large percentage of our movie audiences could not take full advantage of our online environment. They could browse to see what's on at movies, watch the trailers and if they didn't have a credit card they had to step into cinemas to buy tickets. Now, however, they can complete the loop and buy tickets anywhere, anytime”.

The ecurrency can be purchased through any self-service banking channel such as Internet, mobile or telephone banking; or directly from the cinema group. Buy your e-currency, provide your cellphone number, and your voucher will be delivered directly to your cellphone. You can then go online and use that money to pay for goods or services at any participating MIMONEY retailer in a completely secure transaction environment.

Furthermore, there are no charges attached to either buying or using the ecurrency.

Ster-Kinekor, in addition to being one of the first retailers to accept MIMONEY, is also the first sales agent for the ecurrency and customers will be able to buy it at in cinema self-service terminals with a debit card, or with cash at the box-office. It can be given as a gift; parents can buy it for their children, who can then decide how to spend that money - airtime, movies, books - with parents being able to rest assured that the money will be spent on its intended purposes.”

Mahomed highlighted that MIMONEY also offers an alternative for security-conscious shoppers who are nervous about sending their credit card details into cyberspace, as well as benefiting those who either don't qualify for a credit card or who don't want to own one.

The ecurrency will be accepted at Ster-Kinekor from 27 December 2008. Currency is available with a face value up to R1000, and the monthly limit per customer is R10,000.

Visit http://www.MIMONEY.co.za for more information

Let's do Biz