KUCHING: Sarawak state government’s fintech mobile app platform, S Pay Global, has grown by leaps and bounds with some 590,290 registered users and 85,445 merchants state-wide, recording transactions worth RM1.8 billion since its establishment in 2017.
Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak said S Pay Global users have increased tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic as many entrepreneurs and the public prefer cashless transactions.
“Additionally, through the S Pay Global Solution, the state government has been able to channel the financial aid, Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) to eligible Sarawakians during the pandemic,” he said in a statement Thursay.
S Pay Global (formerly known as Sarawak Pay), is Sarawak’s e-wallet – an initiative by the state government to empower its digital economy agenda.
Zaidi said S Pay Global is also collaborating with Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) to provide online transaction services to people living in the rural areas via appointed bank’s agents.
“S Pay Global users in the rural area who have no access to any financial institutions can receive and send money to their families, friends and business partners via e-wallet through any of the 236 BSN bank agents in the state,” he added.
SMA is the lead agency in driving the Sarawak digital economy; spearheading, overseeing and facilitating the development and implementation of communication, multimedia and digital economy initiatives.
It was the brainchild of Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who wanted Sarawak to progress as a high-income economy by 2030 through the digital economy.
Other SMA initiatives include the Online Application to Enter and Exit Sarawak and electronic Health Declaration Form (eHDF), which helped the state government to control travellers entering into Sarawak to curb the spread of Covid-19.
SMA had also created i-Alerts, Sarawak’s official disaster communication and information mobile app to keep Sarawakians informed of the latest Covid-19 situation in the state.
“The iAlert app also helped the state to correct fake news posted in social media and disseminate more accurate news to the public during this crisis.
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