Abang Johari (centre) in a photo call with representatives of UnionPay International SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd and delegates from Sarawak.
SHANGHAI, China: The Sarawak government aims to transform the state into a cashless economy as part of Sarawak’s Digital Economy agenda.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said: “We also intend to transform Kuching into a financial hub in the region. Thus, we need an international payment brand like UnionPay to assist us in local talent development and in the transformation process.
“When I was the tourism minister, I already knew that UnionPay is an international brand. We are fortunate to have UnionPay partnering us especially in the area of Digital Economy, which Sarawak is embarking on,” he said.
The Sarawak government is looking forward to collaborating with UnionPay particularly in the FinTech development, he added.
Sarawak Pay further strengthened the strategic partnership with UnionPay International by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week.
The MoU signing team from Sarawak was led by SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd (SNT) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain while UnionPay International was represented by its vice president Wang Lixin.
Abang Johari witnessed the signing ceremony, which also saw the presence of China UnionPay chairman Shao Fujun.
The signing of the MoU will lead to the implementation of Sarawak Pay in mainland China, and similarly for UnionPay customers to make payment in Sarawak without the hassle of converting currency notes.
Both UnionPay and SNT will work out the technical details and seek endorsement from Bank Negara Malaysia.
UnionPay International (UPI) focuses on the international business of UnionPay, a global payment network that serves the world’s largest cardholder base. With over seven billion UnionPay cards issued in 52 countries and regions, over 52 million merchants and 2.6 million ATMs accepting its cards in 174 countries and regions, UnionPay is currently one of the fastest-growing payment networks in the world.
As a company with a global acceptance network and a wide range of world-class payment services, UnionPay is committed to providing access to value and secure payment solutions that are tailored to the needs of the local market, to enable choice and ease of payment for consumers and businesses alike.
In Southeast Asia, UPI has enabled ATM, POS acceptance and card issuance across all 10 countries. In Malaysia, UPI partners Bank of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and Public Bank to provide a wide array of payment products and services. For more information, visit www.unionpayintl.com.
Other Sarawak delegates at the MoU signing were State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs Abdullah Saidol, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak and SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd managing director Dr Anderson Tiong Ing Heng.