KUALA LUMPUR (May 5): Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) has inked a strategic collaboration with kiplePay Sdn Bhd (kiplePay), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Green Packet Bhd, to enable cashless transactions to be conducted under a unified system in its campus in Sintok.

Available campus-wide, such cashless transactions include purchases at in-campus retail stores, zakat fund disbursements, facility bookings, and payments of university fees.

The memorandum of agreement was signed between UUM vice chancellor Prof Dr Ahmad Bashawir Abdul Ghani, and kiplePay chief executive officer Tan Kay Yen, witnessed by Kedah state executive councillor Mohd Asmirul Anuar Aris and National Higher Education Fund Corp, Wan Saiful Wan Jan. 

“[The] UUM Cashless Community is the first step that we are embarking on to achieve the Smart Campus status. For a start, the university has taken the initiative to distribute zakat aid to UUM students through kiplePay. 

A total of RM340,000 of zakat fund distribution has been made starting from December 2018, making UUM the first public university in Malaysia to distribute zakat aid to students through [an] e-wallet app,” said Prof Ahmad in a statement.

“Not just the students, lecturers and UUM staff will enjoy the convenience provided by kiplePay. I believe this collaboration marks a great initiative to transform and digitalize the education industry, expanding the cashless ecosystem further in Malaysia,” said Tan. 

kiplePay is a licensed Bank Negara Malaysia e-wallet issuer and operates on two fronts -- namely a cashless payment gateway for the business and an e-wallet for consumers.  

Mohd Asmirul Anuar, in commending UUM and kiplePay for joining the government’s efforts to create a cashless society, said it is important for the young generation today, especially students, to start adopting e-wallet to develop a keen sense of money management.