Maestro eyes larger market

JAKARTA (JP): MasterCard International predicts its Maestro debit cardholders in Indonesia to increase from eight million this year to 11 million next year, Jeff Portelli, the company's vice president for product delivery in Asia Pacific, said on Thursday.

Portelli told reporters that his company expected 1999's transaction value using Maestro debit cards to surge sevenfold from last year's US$1 billion.

Portelli said according to a survey conducted by the company in October, Indonesia was a potential market for its ATM debit card with a personal identification number because it offered security, global purchasing and cash withdrawal convenience with Internet services.(06)