Direct Debit: Moving Malaysia to a Cashless Society

We are just at the beginning of a payments revolution in Malaysia, which is changing the way consumers are paying for goods and services. In 2019, studies have shown that two in three Malaysians are now utilising cashless payments, with Debit cards and online banking being the most preferred methods of payment, including Direct Debit.

Since the launch of Bank Negara’s Financial Sector Blueprint 2011-2020, which is the country’s initiative to move to a cashless society, the volume of all electronic payment methods have risen year on year. This shift is a clear indicator of the rapid change in consumer behaviour that is being driven by a desire to make managing finances simpler, faster and more flexible.

Previous Restrictions with Direct Debit

Whilst Direct Debit is a relatively new payment method in Malaysia, it was launched by MEPS (now known as PayNet) in 2010, it has come with some heavy restrictions that have kept it from becoming a universally adopted payment method. This has been reflected in the relatively low transaction volumes to date, which has been primarily due to two main reasons: ease of use and accessibility.

Firstly, old Direct Debit systems have been incredibly paper-based and manual. This has resulted in long processing times and high rejections rates of Direct Debit mandates. As a result, businesses have been deterred from using this payment method.

Secondly, the payment method has historically been reserved for larger, corporate businesses that have the resources and finances to facilitate it. Running and administrating Direct Debit was complex and time-consuming, with dedicated full-time employees needed to set-up, collect and manage payments. It is because of this that cash and cheques have remained the most common payment options for SMEs well into the 21st century.

This is now all changing following the government’s initiative to allow and promote online Direct Debit payments.

Curlec is Bringing Direct Debit to the Modern Day

Our system uses the latest technology to automate online Direct Debit payments in a seamless manner. The process of collecting recurring payments of varying amounts is now faster, cheaper and far more efficient. This will reduce the reliance that SMEs place on cash and cheques, and help to propel Malaysia to cashless status.

Curlec has transformed the the process from an expensive, manual system to an affordable, automated one. We have done this in 3 simple steps:

1. E-Mandate Set Up – customers sign up by completing an online eMandate form, which authorises a merchant to collect payment from a customer’s account when they are due. This is completed instantly with a 100% approval rate.
2. Automated Payment Collection – when payments are due, Curlec will collect the necessary files to enable the debiting and crediting of bank accounts. Payments then get transferred between accounts in a seamless manner.
3. Auto Account Reconciliation – successful transactions will be automatically reconciled with a merchant’s accounting system. For unsuccessful transactions, a one-off FPX tool enables customers to pay with a different bank account or credit card.

If you would like to find out how you can move to our cashless solution, please contact us here by filling in the form below this page