Congratulations: APU winners with Farhan (third from right) and PayNet chairman Datuk Ahmad Hizzad Baharuddin (second from left).
GOING cashless has increasingly become the preferred mode of payment among Malaysians.
The trend is gaining traction among students in higher education institutions (HEIs) too.
Recently, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Terengganu Branch and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) were named champions for recording the highest cashless transactions per capita in 2023 in the public HEI and private HEI categories, respectively.
The student bodies of both universities were also announced as winners of the “Best Pitch” for their respective categories in the Digital Campus 2.0 campaign.
Organised by Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet), the campaign, held from January to December last year, involved the participation of 28 public and private HEIs.
It tasked the student body of each institution with presenting a campaign proposal to PayNet on how to cultivate the adoption of digital payments within their campus ecosystems.
The challenge culminated in the final pitch presentations by student bodies representing eight universities from around the nation in Putrajaya on Jan 18.
Drawing the participation of over 405,000 students from participating institutions nationwide, Digital Campus 2.0 generated 11.8 million online and over-the-counter cashless transactions during the campaign.
Alongside the prize-giving ceremony, the national payments network and central financial infrastructure provider launched Digital Campus 3.0, the third iteration of its student engagement initiative.The initiative is in line with PayNet’s effort to shape a cashless society by encouraging the adoption of digital payments across university campuses.
UiTM Terengganu Branch winners with Higher Education director general Prof Dr Azlinda Azman (first from left) and Farhan.
It is also aligned with Bank Negara Malaysia’s Financial Sector Blueprint 2022-2026, which aims to accelerate e-payment adoption and increase awareness of the digital payment culture. Launched in 2019 as a pilot project between two universities, the Digital Campus campaign has seen a tenfold increase in participating universities, along with a significant increase in the adoption of cashless transactions within Malaysia’s education sector.
Students have adopted digital payments through solutions such as MyDebit, FPX, JomPAY and the DuitNow QR.PayNet Government Digitalisation Division senior director Firdaus Ghani believes that the growth in participating institutions, coupled with the results, showcases how the youth of Malaysia can contribute towards the digital transformation of the education sector.
“It’s very encouraging to see the initiatives driven by university student bodies and how they spearhead the transition to cashless transactions within our educational institutions. “We are proud to empower future leaders to work towards a safe and reliable cashless ecosystem.
“We aspire for students to continue practising digital payment habits outside their campuses in our journey towards a cashless nation,” he said in a press release.PayNet group chief executive officer Farhan Ahmad said the campaign is dedicated to empowering students to be at the forefront of the transformative, national cashless agenda.
“By championing a cashless campus, we’re not only encouraging students to adapt to a cashless society, but also addressing safety concerns. “The absence of physical cash significantly reduces the risks of theft, a prevalent issue on many college campuses, leading to safer learning environments,” he said.
With the acceleration of digital transformation across the education sector, PayNet hopes to see more campus participation in Malaysia’s journey towards a cashless society, the press release read.
