KUALA LUMPUR: Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) processed 8.44 billion digital payment transactions in 2025, reflecting how digital payments are increasingly the preferred payment method across Malaysia, driven by continued adoption across banks, non-banks participants, businesses and consumers.
In a statement today, the national payment network said these transactions span everyday usage across retail, transportation, peer-to-peer transfers and small businesses.
PayNet chief executive officer Praveen Rajan said the continued growth in digital payments reflected a broader shift in how Malaysians move and manage money in their daily lives.
"Digital payments are becoming the preferred payment method across consumers, businesses and public services, enabled by continued innovation and collaboration across banks, non-banks participants, merchants and the government,” he added.
PayNet said growth in 2025 was driven by increased participation across the ecosystem, as banks and non-banks participants expanded access for consumers and merchants.
It added that bank transaction volumes grew by 30.69 per cent and non-bank transactions recorded 71.7 per cent growth, indicating a more diversified and inclusive payments ecosystem.
This translated into higher transaction volumes, with an additional 6.3 million transactions per day on average compared with 2024, alongside stronger activity during festive periods such as year-end holidays and major celebrations, it said.
PayNet said this expansion was further supported by wider adoption across businesses and the rakyat.
”A total of 681,250 new DuitNow QR acceptance points were introduced, including 267,780 among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), bringing the nationwide total to more than three million registered DuitNow QR touchpoints,” it added.
As digital payments scale, the risk landscape has also evolved, particularly in the area of financial scams with increasingly sophisticated tactics, including the use of artificial intelligence, deepfakes and social engineering, are making scams more difficult to detect and prevent.
In response, industry-wide efforts led by financial institutions and ecosystem partners have intensified, with stronger coordination across banks, regulators and ecosystem partners.
PayNet said the National Fraud Portal (NFP), developed by PayNet, serves as a centralised platform that enables participating institutions to share information, identify mule accounts more quickly, and coordinate response to disrupt fraudulent transactions and support fund recovery.
It added that these efforts contributed to the identification of about 57,700 victim accounts, with about RM46 million in earmarked funds in the process of being returned to affected users last year.
"As digital payments continue to grow, trust and security will remain critical. Strengthening safeguards against scams while maintaining a resilient and accessible infrastructure will continue to be a key priority for the ecosystem,” Praveen said.
As domestic adoption expands, Malaysian businesses are increasingly able to participate in cross-border payment flows through PayNet’s growing network of DuitNow QR linkages with cross-border QR transactions grew 2.5 times to 29.7 million in 2025.
For businesses, particularly MSMEs, this expands access to a broader regional consumer base beyond domestic demand, enabling more seamless participation in cross-border commerce, PayNet said. - Bernama
