8.44bil transactions processed in 2025 as digital payments become Malaysians’ preferred way to pay

• Non-bank growth and DuitNow QR expansion drive nationwide adoption
• Cross-border linkages and fraud controls strengthen trust and regional connectivity

Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) processed 8.44 billion digital payment transactions in 2025, underscoring how digital payments are becoming the preferred method across Malaysia, driven by continued adoption among banks, non-bank participants, businesses and consumers.

In a statement, the company noted that these transactions span everyday usage across retail, transportation, peer-to-peer transfers and small businesses, reflecting how digital payments are embedded in daily life. It added that the growth aligns with Malaysia’s broader digital payments agenda, as outlined by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in its Financial Sector Blueprint 2022–2026 and reinforced in its 2025 Annual Report, which emphasises inclusive access, safe adoption and a reliable national payments infrastructure.

Praveen Rajan (pic), CEO of PayNet, said the growth reflects a broader shift in how Malaysians move and manage money, enabled by continued innovation and collaboration across banks, non-bank participants, merchants and the government. He added that as adoption scales, maintaining a reliable, secure and accessible ecosystem remains a priority.

Expanding participation and access
According to PayNet, growth in 2025 was driven by increased participation across the ecosystem. Bank transaction volumes grew by 30.69%, while non-bank transactions rose by 71.7%, indicating a more diversified payments landscape.

This translated into an additional 6.3 million transactions per day on average compared with 2024, alongside stronger activity during festive periods such as year-end holidays and major celebrations.

Adoption also expanded across businesses and the rakyat, with 681,250 new DuitNow QR acceptance points introduced, including 267,780 among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), bringing the total to over three million registered DuitNow QR touchpoints nationwide.

Growth was also evident in non-urban areas, with transaction volumes in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah tripling year on year, indicating broader adoption across different population segments.

Programmes such as PayNet Digital Campus and Cashless Boleh supported this shift by integrating digital payments into universities, communities and the public sector. The PayNet Fintech Hub continues to support ecosystem development by bringing together fintech start-ups, financial institutions and partners to expand access to digital financial services.

Strengthening trust, security and consumer protection
As digital payments scale, the risk landscape has evolved, particularly in financial scams. Increasingly sophisticated tactics, including artificial intelligence, deepfakes and social engineering, are making scams more difficult to detect and prevent.

In response, industry-wide efforts have intensified, with stronger coordination across banks, regulators and ecosystem partners. The National Fraud Portal, developed by PayNet, serves as a centralised platform to share information, identify mule accounts more quickly and coordinate responses to disrupt fraudulent transactions and support fund recovery.

PayNet supports these efforts by operating the NFP infrastructure, supporting the National Scam Response Centre and collaborating with financial institutions and regulators to strengthen fraud response across the ecosystem.

In 2025, these efforts contributed to the identification of about 57,700 victim accounts, with approximately US$12 million (RM46 million) in earmarked funds in the process of being returned to affected users.

PayNet processed an average of 260 transactions per second while maintaining 99.995% service availability, ensuring reliability at scale.

Praveen said trust and security remain critical as digital payments continue to grow, adding that strengthening safeguards against scams while maintaining a resilient and accessible infrastructure will remain a key priority.

Extending Malaysia’s reach through cross-border connectivity
As domestic adoption expands, Malaysian businesses are increasingly participating in cross-border payment flows through PayNet’s growing network of DuitNow QR linkages.

A new QR payment linkage with Cambodia was introduced in 2025, complementing existing interoperability with Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and China, with India expected to follow in 2026. This is expected to support inbound spending in line with Visit Malaysia 2026, with growing transaction volumes from China and similar momentum anticipated once India is enabled.

Cross-border QR transactions grew 2.5 times to 29.7 million in 2025. For businesses, particularly MSMEs, this expands access to a broader regional consumer base and enables more seamless participation in cross-border commerce.

These linkages form part of broader regional initiatives, including the Next50 Common Standards Project and Project Nexus, aimed at enabling interoperable payment systems across Asean and supporting trade, tourism and regional economic integration.

Together with regulators and industry participants, these developments reflect a payments ecosystem that continues to expand in participation, strengthen trust and deepen regional connectivity, supporting a more inclusive and secure digital financial system aligned with national priorities.