GEORGE TOWN, Jan 3 — Cashless payments are now available at some wet markets and hawker centres in Penang as Touch ‘n Go eWallet began rolling out its services to small business owners here.
TNG Digital Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Ignatius Ong said the service wants to be inclusive and accessible by making the payment system available at wet markets, night markets, hawker stalls and bazaars.
“It is our strategy to reach small enterprises by focusing on stalls so that we will be at all locations and touch points,” he said at the launch of Touch ‘n Go e-Wallet in Penang.
Ong said Touch ‘n Go e-Wallet currently has over 120,000 merchants signed up nationwide and it hopes to double this figure soon.
“We hope to triple our merchant base in Penang within the year,” he said.
Other than recruiting stalls and markets, Ong said his firm is working on collaborations with the state government to enable transactions for government services such as payment for the city council’s assessment rates and other e-government services.
Currently, TNG Digital has over seven million registered users nationwide.
Ong said it is aggressively roping in more merchants to benefit users in both rural and urban areas.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, in his speech, said the entry of TNG Digital into the e-wallet industry here is a welcomed move in line with the state’s smart city initiatives.
He also welcomed collaborations with TNG Digital to enable payments for various e-government services through the e-wallet.
“I fully support this push towards going cashless and I, for one, would like to see every Penangite embrace a cashless lifestyle,” he said.
Touch ‘n Go eWallet is one of the partners in the government’s “eTunai Rakyat” initiative to allocate RM30 each for eligible Malaysian starting January 15.
