KUCHING, April 9: Sarawak Pay has further strengthened its strategic partnership with UnionPay International by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Shanghai, China on April 3.
Each party was represented at the MoU signing by SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd (SNT) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain and UnionPay International vice-president Wang Lixin respectively. It was witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and China UnionPay chairman Shao Fujun.
In his speech, Abang Johari said that when he was the state tourism minister, he knew that UnionPay is an international brand.
He said that Sarawak is fortunate to have UnionPay partnering with it, especially in the area of the digital economy which the state is setting out for.
“The state government is looking forward to collaborating with UnionPay particularly in the FinTech (financial technology) development.
“As part of our Digital Economy agenda, we aimed to transform the state into a cashless economy. We also intend to transform Kuching into a financial hub in the region.
“Therefore, we need an international payment brand like UnionPay to assist us in local talent development and also the transformation process,” he said in a statement.
He also said that the MoU signing will lead to the implementation of Sarawak Pay in mainland China and similarly for UnionPay customers to make payment in Sarawak without the hassle of converting currency notes.
Abang Johari elaborated that both UnionPay and SNT will work out the technical details and seek endorsement from Bank Negara Malaysia.
Others present at the MoU signing included State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Corporate Affairs) Abdullah Saidol, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak, and SNT manager director Dr Anderson Tiong Ing Heng. — DayakDaily
