KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maik) has introduced a zakat online payment gateway dubbed PayHalal.

The operating company for PayHalal is Souqa Fintech Sdn Bhd its chief executive officer Datuk Norasni Ayob said apart from introducing the Shariah-compliant cashless channel, the online payment gateway can also assist the state religious council in collecting zakat.

"The appointment of PayHalal as a Zakat agent is not only to create a Shariah-compliant cashless channel but also to help Maik expand the collection for their Zakat Fitrah and Fidyah,” she said in a statement today.

The online zakat payment gateway will also mobilise quick response codes (QR codes) for Kelantanese who are away from the state, in line with the aspiration of Maik to make "Kelantan Berzakat”.

"PayHalal will assist Maik to maximise their outreach while making paying Zakat convenient and at a click-away,” she added.

Norasni added that PayHalal is a suitable alternative amid the Covid-19 pandemic and encourages Kelantanese to fulfil their obligatory contribution.