"Sixdots" becomes the key to fast and safe mobile and online shopping in Belgium

On 4 November, Belgacom and BNB Paribas Fortis set up "Belgian Mobile Wallet SA/NV", a joint venture to support online and mobile trade in Belgium. The European Commission had already approved this joint venture earlier.

The establishment of Belgian Mobile Wallet SA/NV follows the announcement in the beginning of this year to launch a Belgian standard for payments via smartphones in spring 2014. This will allow consumers to use their smartphones in the future to pay for goods and services, exchange coupons, or use their customer cards.

It will be commercially launched under the brand name "Sixdots", a reference to the strong security offered by the platform for consumers and traders. Sixdots stands for a six-digit PIN code, that will be used, beside other security measures, for making online and mobile payments in Belgium.

Frederic Lhostte, Managing Director, explains: "Sixdots operates as an open platform, accessible to all consumers and traders in Belgium. The use of Sixdots is totally free of charge for the consumer. The app will be available to all smartphone users with a bank card from any bank established in Belgium and a mobile data subscription from any Belgian telecom operator." For traders, too, Sixdots offers unique benefits for e-commerce and also as a safe solution for integrating "in-app commerce" simply and seamlessly into their own app, adapted to the user experience and look and feel of their own app. Traders will be charged a small fee for each transaction via Sixdots.

Sixdots is underpinned by the new MasterPass* payment solution. Sixdots takes care of the security and integration of this payment solution, so that the consumer does not have to enter any credit card details on the websites of traders or have a card reader at hand.

The underlying technical platform, developed by Accenture, will be operational in January 2014, when a pilot project will be launched with a limited number of traders and users, and with the focus on e-commerce payments soon followed by in-app payments. The commercial launch scheduled for spring 2014. Later on in 2014, Sixdots will be expanded with virtual tickets, discount coupons and loyalty programs.

More information about Sixdots can be found on www.sixdots.be. Consumers and traders can register via the site to be kept informed of further developments.

*MasterPass is a digital payment wallet, developed by MasterCard. BNP Paribas Fortis offers this solution in Belgium under the name of Easy MasterCard, a free of charge payment wallet for Belgian consumers.

Sixdots contact persons
​ Frederic Lhostte (Managing Director) ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0) 477 20 99 80, or frederic.lhostte@sixdots.be
​ Tom Kestens (Head of Marketing) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0) 499 54 92 26, or tom.kestens@sixdots.be

BNP Paribas Fortis Press Service
​ Hilde Junius ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0)2 565 47 37 or + 32 (0)478 88 29 60
​ Valéry Halloy ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0)2 565 46 50 or +32 (0)475 78 80 97

http://newsroom.bnpparibasfortis.com

Belgacom Press Service:
​ Jan Margot: ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0)2 202 85 01 or +32 (0)475 58 50 37
​ Frédérique Verbiest: ​ ​ ​ +32 (0)2 202 99 26 or +32 (0)479 26 09 45
​ Haroun Fenaux: ​ ​ ​ ​ +32 (0)2 202 48 67 or +32 (0)476 60 03 33

http://www.belgacom.com ​ & www.flickr.com/belgacom & http://twitter.com/belgacom_press