by NUR HAZIQAH A MALEK / pic credit: shopee.com.my

SHOPEEPAY said it recorded a total of 500,000 eBelia claims on its platform for the first day of eBelia programme launched on Tuesday, with successful claimants receiving an additional RM500 worth of vouchers on top of the RM150 e-wallet credit.

“The programme has received overwhelming response thus far, with close to 500,000 claims made via ShopeePay on the first day alone.

“We are happy to be given this opportunity to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance as one of the official e-wallets for the eBelia programme, as we seek to do more to help grow the Malaysian digital economy,” ShopeePay Malaysia head Alain Yee said in a statement yesterday.

The platform has been scaling its presence offline aggressively in the country over the past year via partnerships with several digital payment solution providers.

“As a result, ShopeePay is now accepted at over 750,000 touchpoints nationwide and can be used to make payment at petrol stations, F&B (food and beverage) outlets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, bookstores and more.

“As more Malaysian consumers enter the cashless spending ecosystem, smaller businesses like convenience stores, petty traders, and burger stalls will also see the need to adopt cashless payment methods as part of their operations so they are not left behind. This digital push will be a win for the country’s digital economy,” he said.

The extra RM500 worth of vouchers were curated by the e-wallet to offer greater savings on items like learning tools for studies or household supplies and groceries, including brands such as the official Apple distributor, Switch, Mr DIY, Tesco and L’Oreal, on top of free shipping and coins cashback.

Yee said ShopeePay is working closely with sellers and brands to offer free shipping with a minimum spend of RM6, 66% off deals and vouchers daily during the 6.6 Awesome Sale that ends on June 6 (Sunday).

“With more savings, youths will be able to buy more necessities without breaking the bank,” he said.

The eBelia programme is open to Malaysians aged 18 to 20 in 2021, or full-time students enrolled in courses equivalent to diploma or Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 4 and above at local public and private registered institutions of higher learning and can be claimed at https://shopee.com.my/m/ebelia-claim

Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd retail payments services director Khairuan Abdul Rahman said it is an opportune time to collaborate with ShopeePay to educate the youth on DuitNow QR as a means to make secure and convenient cashless payments.

“Under the prevailing situation, payment modes that are hygienic and safe are essential to continue with our daily activities and brace through the Covid-19 pandemic.”