Maybank, KFC Malaysia announce payment partnership
KUCHING: Maybank and KFC Malaysia announced a partnership to enable payments using Maybank QRPay at KFC restaurants, making the brand the first largest quick service restaurant chain in Malaysia to offer the convenience of payment using QR codes through the Maybank App.
A press release said the par tnership was launched by Maybank group president and CEO Datuk Abdul Farid Alias and Johor Corporation cum chairman of QSR Brands president and chief executive Dato’ Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim during a ceremony at KFC The Curve, Petaling Jaya on Thursday.
Also present were QSR Brands managing director Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azahari Mohamed Kami l and Maybank group community financial services CEO Dato’ John Chong.
Ab du l F a r i d s a i d the partnership between Maybank and KFC Malaysia was part of ongoing ef for ts by both organisations to provide greater customer convenience, enhance efficiency and further drive the country’s cashless payments agenda.
“Today, we are creating a partnership aimed at enhancing customer experience through a payment eco- system that will further minimise the need for carrying cash while also benefitting merchants in many ways.
“With over 11 million Internet banking users - of which more than four million use mobile banking - we bel ieve that businesses, especially SMEs, can benef it from Maybank’s large customer base when they are connected to our digital plat forms such as through Maybank QRPay,” he said in the statement.
He added that Mal aysi a continues to see increasing adoption of cashless technology and is expected to join mature economies like China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea in a few years’ time.
“This upward trend is reflected in the growing number of our registered Maybank2u users who access the platform via mobile devices and computers, and who are increasingly opting for noncash based transactions.”
Meanwhile, Mohamed Azahari said KFC has been embarking on its digital transformation journey through a number of technology- driven initiatives that h ave b e en ca r ef u l ly strategised to enhance overall customer experience.
“To ensure that we are able to extend our reach and cater to the increasing demand for excellent customer service del ivery and immersive experience, comprehensive digital strategies are set in place to provide easy accessibility, improved speed and greater f lexibility for our customers from the point of ordering, to payment, to the product delivery.
“This year saw the activation of cashless transaction in our restaurants with digital payment option through credit and debit card. Today, we will unveil the capability of QR payment method in partnership with Maybank as part of our customer- centric strategy to provide seamless and value- added service,” he said.
“Bank Negara has predicted that our country will transform into a cashless society by the year 2020. Therefore, we feel that the integration of mobile payment option like QRpay in KFC restaurants, is a natural progression to ensure that QSR is one with the movement and maintained to be at forefront of the future commerce in Mal aysi a,” s aid Mohamed Azahari.
This digital payment system has been rolled out at 11 KFC r e s t aur ant s n amely KFC Puduraya, Pavilion 2, Bukit Bintang, KL Sentral, Mid Valley Megamall, KLIA2 ( arrival and departure), Sunway Pyramid, Shah Alam Section 7, The Curve and VSQ. It will be progressively made available in all KFC point of sales nationwide by the first quarter of 2019.
Wit h t h i s new s er v ic e, customers using Maybank QRPay at KFC outlets will have the convenience of making payments by simply opening the QRPay feature within the Maybank App. The customer then has to use t he “Pay” function to generate a QR code on the mobile phone which will then be scanned by the card terminal scanner at the point of sale. The purchase amount is then debited from the customer’s selected deposit account and the transaction completed at the cashier.
Apart from the convenience enjoyed by customers, this new arrangement promises greater efficiency to retail merchants as the QRPay transactions are integrated into the point of sale cash register, providing the merchants with full details of all payments made.
Maybank was the first bank in Malaysia to of fer cashless payment convenience via QR codes when it introduced this service in January this year. To date, the bank has secured over 160,000 merchants who offer this payment option, comprising smal l traders, F& B out lets, retail merchants and beauty centres.
Under this partnership with KFC Malaysia, the Maybank platform will also provide the capabi lity for QR payments via Alipay and WeChat, aimed mainly at enabling visitors from China to make payments seamlessly at KFC outlets in Malaysia.