BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Five years ago, Progresif underwent a major restructuring, following a shakeup of Brunei’s telco industry.
After refining its core business as a telco provider, the company has now stepped into the digital payment landscape with the arrival of Ding!, a digital wallet that allows Progresif users to make cashless payments by either using pre-paid credit or post-paid billing, or by linking their bank cards to their Ding! account.
Users don’t even need to have a bank account to use Ding!, said Progresif CEO, Hjh Nurul Haniah Hj Md Jaafar.
“As long as you are subscribed to a Progresif service, such as Home WiFi or a prepaid or postpaid mobile plan, you are eligible to use Ding!.”
Embedded within the Progresif CARE+ app, the digital wallet feature started as a way for Progresif users to make in-app purchases for items such as eSims and iTunes cards by using their prepaid credit or postpaid billing.
“We launched that feature in 2022, and within a year we got good traction which was validation that we could expand further into the digital payment space,” said Haziq Sahrip, Progresif’s Vice President of Digital Innovation.
“Around the same time, the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank introduced the Payment Systems Operator License and was encouraging non-bank players to enter the regulatory sandbox.”
With the majority of Bruneian mobile users subscribed to prepaid plans, Progresif saw an opportunity to tap into unused prepaid credit.
“The Progresif CARE+ app has a lifestyle store where people can purchase things like Nord VPN or a Spotify subscription. We saw people spending quite a lot using ‘Charge to Bill’ and ‘Charge to Prepaid’, because that’s the only way they can buy digitally without a debit or credit card,” said Liam Janin, Digital Product Manager at Progresif.
“The accessibility was just easier for people, especially for kids or foreign workers who maybe don’t have a traditional bank account.”
Haziq added that data from the Central Bank indicated that 16% to 20% of the population are financially excluded because they do not have a bank account, or the means to maintain a minimum balance.
“Given those findings, it was a natural evolution for the digital wallet to turn into Ding!, which can send payments to participating merchants across Brunei.”
Carving out a competitive advantage
With Ding! launching just five months ago, the e-wallet has a fast-growing user base among Progresif subscribers, and over 100 merchants have also hopped on board.
“On the user side, our advantage is that you don’t need a bank account to make cashless payments, just a Progresif line with available credit,” said Adi Basri, Progresif’s Chief Commercial and Innovation Officer. “Another selling point is that Ding! allows users to send and receive money from other Ding! users.”
One of the benefits for merchants is that businesses can capture sales that otherwise would not have been made.
“For example, if a user doesn’t have enough cash or funds in their bank account, but they have a Ding! wallet, they can still make the purchase by using their prepaid credit or by billing it to their postpaid account,” Adi said.
Another feature popular with Ding! merchants is the instant refund feature.
“So if a customer pays for something with a credit card, and then they notice something wrong with the bill, the merchant can refund them but it will take a few days for that money to be credited back to the card. With Ding!, refunds are instant,” Adi explained.
Boosting Brunei’s digital economy
Progresif sees Ding! being a large segment of the telco’s overall business in the next two to five years, particularly with the upcoming launch of Brunei’s Digital Payment Hub, a backend system that connects various banks and e-wallets, allowing instant transfers and payments between different financial service providers.
Once the platform is launched, existing mobile banking and e-wallet apps will integrate the Digital Payment Hub into their systems, allowing users to make cross-platform transactions.
“We saw all the unused credit among our prepaid user base, it really adds up collectively,” Adi said. “If we can help users spend this money, it could really help stimulate the Brunei economy and help small businesses.”
“Otherwise when your prepaid credit expires the money is just gone.”
Progresif CEO Hjh Nurul said the telco wants to provide more than just mobile and internet connectivity.
“We want to participate in the larger digital economy. Ding! is not just a payment tool, it’s a comprehensive solution that simplifies financial management, streamlines operations, and supports business growth in Brunei’s digital economy.”
Getting started with Ding! is simple. All you need is an active Progresif service—whether it’s postpaid, prepaid, or broadband—and a CARE+ account. Download the CARE+ app from the App Store or Google Play, complete the Ding! registration process, and you’re ready to make secure and hassle-free payments. For businesses, the process is just as easy—contact Progresif directly for merchant onboarding.