Sarawak Pay has become a popular e-wallet app among Sarawakians since its inception in November 2017.
As of 5 January this year, 190,400 users and 11,600 merchants have utilised the app, generating a total value of RM175 million through 3.6 million transactions.
The Sarawak government through the Sarawak Multimedia Authority launched Sarawak Pay to digitise and drive Sarawak’s economy, as well as encourage the adoption of cashless payments among Sarawakians.
It is licenced by Bank Negara Malaysia and serves as a one-stop fintech platform that offers the technology and business tools for secure, fast, and convenient e-wallet and digital payment transactions.
Those of you who use the app will be aware of its various services, including keeping your cash digitally; topping-up through online banking; and transferring funds.
Essentially, you can purchase items with Sarawak Pay and settle your utility and local council bills through your mobile phone anytime, anywhere. All you need to do is scan and pay via the QR code from Sarawak Pay merchants or on your bills.
And if you include your bills in your bill subscription list on the app, you can receive reminders to pay them with the ‘My Subscribed Bill’ push notification.
Sarawak Pay also features Instant Cashback Rewards, where you can earn cashback by shaking your phone or tapping the Shake for Reward button on the app upon payment.
As long as you spend with Sarawak Pay, you can gain cashback with any amount of spending, and enjoy it any time in the future as it has no expiry date.
Meanwhile, merchants who adopt Sarawak Pay as a payment method can receive and get notified on the exact amount of payment from their customers easily and efficiently.
They can also eliminate overhead costs incurred from handling cash, cards, and cheque payment; ensure the safety and security of their finances with customer payment transferred directly to their bank account; and get advertised through Sarawak Pay’s marketing channel.
More than simplifying the process of receiving and making payments, Sarawak Pay is implemented in the hope of serving the underserved financially, and reducing the socioeconomic divide between the urban and rural population.
Indeed, to ensure the inclusion of the rural people, Sarawak Pay, in collaboration with Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), facilitates online money transfer and top-up through BSN authorised agents in places where banking facilities such as automated teller machines (ATMs) are not accessible.
Services like these empower users and merchants from rural and urban areas to participate in the digital payment platform, thereby boosting their competitiveness, and becoming part of the global digital economy.
So if you’ve yet to use Sarawak Pay, start today by downloading it from the Google Play or Apple App Store.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
First published in the Borneo Post online on 8th February 2020: http://bit.ly/2Uz0pgS
Screenshot taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=296WxYfJhDg.
