KUALA LUMPUR, 9 APRIL 2022 - For most youths, the transition into adulthood, their first job, and other rites of passage have remained unchanged for decades. However, the pandemic brought with it some unique financial challenges.
Conscious of addressing these challenges, The Finance Ministry (MOF) in a statement announced that approximately 2 million Malaysian youths will receive RM150 e-wallet credit from mid-April with a government allocation of RM300 million.
With ePemula programme expected to launch soon, the timing of the programme could not be more apt in time for the festive celebration of Ramadan and Hari Raya. The Government launched a similar programme in 2021 to aid youths in their daily spending and deepen the penetration of digital spending by using e-wallets to distribute the cash directly and safely to the recipients.
Amongst the participating wallets was ShopeePay, a repeat partner in this year’s programme. In the rollout last year, ShopeePay recorded almost a million youths claiming their eBelia credit through its e-wallet.
Additionally, the 2021 programme succeeded in generating sales amounting to 120% of the total amount disbursed by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) through ShopeePay. Approximately, 140,000 sellers and traders that accept ShopeePay benefited from the eBelia programme in 2021.
Head of ShopeePay Malaysia Alain Yee said, “We are now accepted at over 750,000 touchpoints nationwide and can be used to make a payment at petrol stations, F&B outlets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, bookstores and more. ShopeePay is happy to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance again this year. As e-wallets increasingly become a norm, we hope that the convenience and security that they offer will entice students to participate and claim their credits via ShopeePay.
As e-wallet and QR payment is becoming an increasingly popular payment option for their speed and ease-of-use, ShopeePay is accepted and compatible with most other QR platforms including DuitNow. This unique interoperability feature allows users to access more goods and services virtually anywhere, both online and offline,” added Yee.
For youths in Malaysia, the incentive programme has clearly demonstrated benefits in helping them with their daily expenses. Recent Sunway University graduate Megat Irfan said, “I am an avid shopper on Shopee. So, when I heard that ShopeePay is part of eBelia 2021, I was excited to claim the credits under ShopeePay. Now, not only do I get to spend with ShopeePay, I also am able to get rewards i.e. coins from the platform. I like that I am able to utilise the credits on the platform, at the same time pay offline via the extra vouchers that I received.”
Besides the ePemula initiative, ShopeePay has also been actively involved in helping micro merchants especially from the B40 category.
Previously, ShopeePay collaborated with Federal Territories (FT) Ministries, Terengganu, Sabah, Penang, Sarawak governments to provide push carts and other relevant collaterals to micro traders and help the business recovery of several micro traders who had been badly affected by the pandemic and had lost their sources of income.
Last month, in support of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Retail Sector Digitalisation Programme (ReDI) in Pulau Pangkor, ShopeePay has on- boarded 130 micro traders as ShopeePay merchants as part of its on-going efforts to push the digital agenda for Malaysia.
For more information on ePemula and follow-up announcements by the government,visit: https://shopee.com.my/m/epemula
For other Budget 2022 benefits specifically meant for youths, please visit https://budget.mof.gov.my/manfaat/.
