Russia’s Tele2, Qiwi launch co-branded electronic wallet

MOSCOW, May 5 (PRIME) -- Russian mobile operator Tele2 and payment service operator Qiwi have launched a joint version of the electronic wallet, Visa Qiwi Wallet, and cellular subscribers can make payments from their mobile accounts, Tele2 said Thursday in a statement.

“E-commerce is a very promising direction; Tele2 is actively developing it to expand the service’s opportunities for subscribers. Visa Qiwi Wallet is a useful instrument that allows (people) to purchase in major online stores and to pay for a wide range of goods and services from the subscriber’s mobile account,” Nadezhda Shevtsova, head of Tele2’s research and development department, said.

With the e-wallet, Tele2 subscribers have access to special offers to pay for goods and services of several thousand suppliers from their mobile account.

The fee was cut down to 1% for most payments made by Tele2 clients. Until July, they will not be charged a fee for topping up their e-wallet from mobile account if the transaction does not exceed 5,000 rubles.

“Cooperation with Tele2 gives Qiwi an opportunity to create and maintain comfortable payment environment for the operator’s subscribers all over Russia,” Anna Stoklitskaya, Qiwi’s managing director, said.

The wallet is available for Tele2 clients at qiwi.ru and via a mobile application for Android and iOS-based devices. The Web interface of the Qiwi service is designed in compliance with Tele2 brand, the application’s design will be upgraded in May.

Tele2 subscribers who already use Qiwi services will see options pop up at the desktop after the client accesses the system.

(66.1718 rubles – U.S. $1)

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