KUCHING: Sarawakians and the people of China are set to benefit from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Sarawak Pay and UnionPay International.
According to a statement, the signing will lead to the implementation of Sarawak Pay in China and similarly for UnionPay customers to make payments in Sarawak without the hassle to convert currency.
The ceremony, which was held in Shanghai, was led by SiliconNet Technologies Sdn Bhd (SNT) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Husain and UnionPay International vice-president Wang Lixin, witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and China UnionPay chairman Shao Fujun.
Speaking at the signing, Abang Johari said, “When I was the Tourism Minister, I already knew that UnionPay is an international brand. We are fortunate to have UnionPay partnering us, especially in the digital economy area which the state is embarking.
“The state government is looking forward to collaborating with UnionPay, particularly in the FinTech development. As part of our digital economy agenda, we aim to transform the state into 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.”
Both UnionPay and SNT will work out the technical details and seek endorsement from Bank Negara Malaysia.
Also present were State Secretary Tan Sri Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Corporate Affairs) Abdullah Saidol, Sarawak Multimedia Authority general manager Dr Zaidi Razak, and SNT managing director Dr Anderson Tiong Ing Heng.
