Norwegian mobile browser provider Opera is launching a payment exchange (OPX) for its cross-platform Mobile Store app store. OPX will bring native payment for apps to different markets through partnerships with local payment firms, the first of these being Yandex.Money. Parent company Yandex is Russia’s most popular search engine, and Opera’s Russian mobile browser market share of more than 66% makes the country an obvious choice for the first partnership.
The system is designed to reduce consumer fear of fraud by linking customers with familiar, local providers. In the future, OPX will cover in-app payments and subscriptions as well as pay-for downloads. However, the main focus now is on forming partnerships across the globe, probably within areas where Opera enjoys a large market share, such as China, India, the US, Western Europe and the rapidly-growing South American and African economies. Opera also has a partnership with Cambridge-based mobile payments company Bango, making the UK a likely next market for OPX.
Opera’s EVP for consumer mobile, Mahi de Silva, says: “Mobile payments have so far been a privilege for users of high-end devices in developed markets. With OPX, Opera is expanding this to all devices, […] by giving the stakeholders in the ecosystem the right technology to carry out the transactions.”
Separately, Opera is partnering with InMobi to incorporate payments systems into its browser through the Californian company’s SmartPay platform.
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