Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is urging locals to incorporate cashless transactions in their daily routines.
Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said since May 2024, MBPP had succeeded in attaining 100% cashless transactions in its operations.
He said this after the launch of Cashless 3.0 and Cashless Awards for State Government Departments/Agencies at a hotel in Bayan Lepas, George Town.
He said multiple engagement sessions were held with stakeholders and officers stationed at MBPP counters to assist and educate customers on how to make cashless payments.
The city council had introduced cash kiosks to facilitate payments as cash was no longer accepted at MBPP service counters.
Rajendran added that MBPP was also encouraging hawkers and business premises to adopt cashless payment systems as part of a wider effort to promote digital transactions throughout the city.
He said in 2023, MBPP developed its own mobile app, Pearl: One Touch Penang, to allow users to conveniently make payment for various types of transactions.
“To date, more than 31,000 app users have registered and MBPP aims to see even greater uptake.”
Earlier, state local government committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye presented a Cashless Award to MBPP for winning Category A (more than 30,000 transactions).
As the winner, MBPP received RM40,000, while second place went to Zakat Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (Zakat MAINPP), which received RM35,000 and Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) secured third place, winning RM30,000.
For Category B (between 1,000 and 30,000 transactions), Penang Syariah Judiciary Department claimed the top spot, earning RM25,000.
Southwest District and Land Office came in second, winning RM20,000, followed by Customer Service Division of the State Secretary’s Office (PSUKPP) in third place with RM15,000.
In Category C (fewer than 1,000 transactions), Penang Chief Minister Inc emerged on top and was awarded RM10,000.
Penang State Forestry Department took second place, earning RM7,500, and Penang State Museum Board came third, receiving RM5,500.
In addition, four departments or agencies received the “Most Promising Towards Cashless” Award, each earning RM3,000.
The recipients were Northeast District and Land Office, Penang Botanical Gardens Department, Penang Public Library Corporation and North Seberang Perai District and Land Office.
H’ng said Penang had recorded strong growth in e-payment adoption, achieving a 97.26% cashless transaction rate in 2024, placing it on track towards becoming Malaysia’s first fully cashless state by 2030.
He said the achievement reflected the collective efforts and commitment of various stakeholders, including the public sector, private organisations and local community.
“Last year, Penang was recognised as Malaysia’s first cashless state after surpassing the 95% benchmark set by the Finance Ministry and Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet).”
He also congratulated the state government and local government division for receiving the Premier Award for Outstanding Digital Payment Performance on Jan 15 in Putrajaya.
To realise its vision of becoming a 100% cashless state by 2030, Penang will launch a dedicated three-month campaign from Sept 1 to Nov 30, themed “Go Cashless”.
H’ng said the campaign would focus on promoting cashless transactions across all state departments and agencies, with only one day allowed for cash payments during the period.
He said 23 state revenue-collecting departments and agencies would be participating.
