Nurturing self-sustaining small business communities across Malaysia


Photo taken at the Suri Mothers Graduation Ceremony. Suri is a social enterprise that lets mothers sell their creations online via a website sponsored by PayNet, at boutiques in selected Langkawi resorts, or in their own stores.

THOUGH ESG is relatively new in the local corporate scene, some organisations, like Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet), are moving beyond eco-friendly practices and corporate social responsibility to focus on lasting social impact. PayNet does this through its flagship PayNet Cambah programme.

Part of a two-pronged approach, the other being PayNet Akar, which aims to nurture digital payments-ready talents, PayNet Cambah programme aims to foster self-sustaining small business communities within underserved segments who lack access to formal financial services.

PayNet collaborates with private sector partners – social enterprises, fintechs, or impact start-ups – to provide essential skills in living, digital and financial literacy.

Once equipped, these businesses undergo digitalisation, opening up new market opportunities through e-commerce, live commerce and online presence.

PayNet’s ecosystem of banks and major e-wallets supports these initiatives initially as part of CSR programmes, eventually integrating these businesses into the formal customer segment once they fulfil the requisite financial track record.

Public sector collaborators provide ongoing on-the-ground support and monitoring to ensure sustained growth.

Serving the underserved: nano and pico SMEs

PayNet sponsored reusable booths made of sustainably sourced bamboo and screw pines during the Pasar Kitar Cashless event.As Malaysia’s retail digital payments infrastructure provider, PayNet is the backbone of the nation’s transition to a cashless society. Its mandate is to empower Malaysia’s digital economy inclusively.

“This means PayNet cannot leave anyone behind in fulfilling our mandate, hence the reason for PayNet Cambah,” explains PayNet senior director Azleena Idris, who is also the head in strategy and ESG office.

“At PayNet, we view ESG through the lens of opportunity. Our ESG strategy is rooted in the UN Principles of Responsible Digital Payments and Sustainable Development Goals.

“PayNet Cambah takes its name from the Malay word meaning ‘to sprout,’ capturing the programme’s essence: nurturing communities within underserved segments to sprout, grow out of poverty, and achieve self-sustainability,” she added.

Ironically, all PayNet Cambah projects – two in Langkawi and one in Batu Pahat – focus on fostering eco-friendly businesses, a direction that emerged organically from the communities themselves due to increasing awareness of environmental conservation.

Project highlights

> Langkawi Projects: the first emphasises strategic lead project, serving as a proof-of-concept, aimed to empower 100 mothers from marginalised groups in Langkawi by providing them with sewing, digital and financial literacy skills.

These women transformed discarded bed linens and furnishings from high-end resorts in Langkawi into “zero waste” fashion items, supporting the resorts’ ESG principles. Through the social enterprise Suri, the mothers sold their creations online via an enhanced Suri website sponsored by PayNet, at the resort’s boutiques or in their own stores. The acquired skills also enabled them to become small business owners.

Today, Suri has secured long-term collaborations with eight high-end resorts in Langkawi, saving nearly six tonnes of discarded fabric from landfills and providing steady income streams to these communities. Additionally, the PayNet-sponsored Suri Kilim Hub is evolving into a sustainably sourced batik production hub through public sector partnerships.

> Second Langkawi Project: focused on small tourism businesses with a sustainability mindset, this project trained 34 small businesses in digital skills and financial literacy, equipping them with digital payment capabilities.

It culminated in a cashless event called Pasar Kitar Cashless, where PayNet sponsored reusable booths made of sustainably sourced bamboo and screw pines (mengkuang). “We had several key learnings,” Azleena explained. “The most important is that the digital payments adoption journey and sustained usage for this segment are very different.

PayNet sponsored reusable booths made of sustainably sourced bamboo and screw pines during the Pasar Kitar Cashless event.The PayNet Cambah programme aims to foster self-sustaining small business communities within underserved segments who lack access to formal financial services.

“Additionally, the form factor is crucial. Although enabled with the affordable DuitNow QR to accept digital payments, small roadside businesses in Langkawi cannot accept international card payments, and tourists from countries without QR payments face challenges in making digital payments to them. We solved this by creating MyTouristPay app, which allows tourists to link their international cards and pay by scanning DuitNow QR, the Malaysian National QR code.”

Expanding PayNet Cambah projects

Building on the success in Langkawi, PayNet Cambah expanded to the southern region, selecting Batu Pahat for its high concentration of B40 communities.

PayNet partnered with a female student-led social enterprise from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn and three additional public sector agencies, including a royal foundation.

The PayNet Cambah programme aims to foster self-sustaining small business communities within underserved segments who lack access to formal financial services.

The goal is to create “10-minute towns” there, whereby small businesses and farming communities can produce their own food requirements within a 10-minute reach.

Selected small business beneficiaries received training in digital skills, food packaging, financial management and live commerce sales, as well as being equipped with the “halal cottage” certification status for wider market access.

The key learnings from Langkawi were applied, yielding faster results – with one in four businesses achieving improved sales after just two weeks in the programme.Four additional projects are planned for Sabah, focusing on expanding their organic food market to live commerce.

Training will commence once infrastructure damaged by recent floods is restored.

By the second quarter of next year, PayNet Cambah will expand to the East Coast, partnering with another local university and a student-led social enterprise.

Trust and collaboration are key

PayNet aims to establish one PayNet Cambah project in every region, with the ultimate vision of operating in every state.

“The rationale is clear: if PayNet does not do this, communities will be left behind, and our mandate will remain unfulfilled,” emphasised Azleena.

“We are a ‘for-purpose’ organisation, and our raison d’être is to serve the rakyat inclusively and innovatively.

“To achieve this, we need more like-minded collaborators. This is not a solo act.”

Additionally, PayNet is nurturing fintechs focused on inclusion to support this mission.

With PayNet’s cross-border payment presence across 15 major payment corridors, beneficiaries of PayNet Cambah can expect an expanded market reach, unlocking significant opportunities for them to grow and access a broader customer base, and enhance their potential for sustained growth and success.

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