MOL AccessPortal to bring gift debit cards here
MOL AccessPortal plans to offer new services in Thailand after its parent firm, MOL Global, was listed on the Nasdaq last week.
Preecha Praipattarakul, chief executive officer of MOL AccessPortal, said the Nasdaq listing gave MOL Global easy access to global content and global partners. Before the end of this year, the Thai subsidiary will launch a gift-card business in Thailand jointly with its partner InComm. The cards, which are pre-loaded with credit to function something like a gift certificate, will come in both digital and physical forms.
“This [gift-card] market in Thailand is untapped and has a lot of potential. We got good feedback from Japan and Germany where credit-card penetration is high, and we hope to see similar success in Thailand,” he said.
InComm will be MOL AccessPortal’s exclusive partner in Southeast Asia, Preecha said, adding that they will together launch the gift-card service in the region. The service was first launched Malaysia two months ago, and will be arriving in Thailand soon.
“In Thailand, we will work with major convenience stores in order to make our gift cards widely available.”
Apart from launching this new service in Thailand, MOL Global also plans to expand into more countries, such as in the Middle East and North Africa. Currently it operates in 13 markets including Thailand.
Preecha is one of MOL Global’s top 10 shareholders and among its top five executives. He oversees MOL AccessPortal’s investments in Thailand and Taiwan.
He said MOL Global sold 13.5 million stocks on the Nasdaq at US$12.50 each, earning $168.75 million.
MOL Global is a holding company, investing in MOL’s business in each country.
It is the largest e-payment enabler for digital goods and services in Southeast Asia by payment volume, according to Frost & Sullivan.
