Maybank expects more duit Raya to be given online

Maybank has forecast a spike in online festive giving in Malaysia via its platform this year.

Datuk Hamirullah Boorhan, Maybank’s Head of Community Financial Services Malaysia says that the bank is expecting a 30% rise in the volume of eDuit Raya transactions performed, and projects more than RM33 million worth of eDuit Raya being sent amongst family and friends. Duit Raya are gifts of cash given to children in paper envelopes during Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya Aidilfitri) visits by those who are older.

He added that eDuit Raya has gained much popularity since its launch in 2015. “Over the years,
we have been enhancing the eDuit Raya feature which has contributed to its strong acceptance.
After the Raya QR was introduced in 2018, the transaction volume grew by more than 10 times
while transaction value almost doubled. We continued to see exponential growth in 2019 with more
than 700,000 transactions for eDuit Raya,” he said.
The eDuit Raya can be given in two ways – via Raya QR on the Maybank2u App - a peer-to-peer transaction method whereby the giver scans the receiver's QR code - or via a phone number using the
MAE e-wallet in the Maybank2u App. It is open to all, including non-Maybank customers, who can
sign up for MAE from the Maybank2u App fully online, and start using the feature immediately. MAE is the first and only shari'ah-compliant e-wallet in Malaysia.

Datuk Hamirullah also announced that as an added convenience this year, the bank has expanded
the list of zakat bodies collecting zakat fitrah online. QRPay Zakat Fitrah services will enable customers to fulfil their obligations this Ramadhan via Maybank2u and Maybank QRPay securely and conveniently. With these cashless options, he projected that zakat fitrah payments via Maybank would grow by more than 100% in 2020.

“The convenience in having the eDuit Raya and zakat fitrah online services is particularly significant this year as we have to observe social distancing, crowd control and limit travelling while celebrating this festivity,” he said.

“But as the spirit of giving is important and encouraged during the holy month of Ramadhan and Hari Raya, we want to enable our customers to fulfil their obligations of paying zakat, and keep the tradition of giving duit Raya to their loved ones despite the constraints. With Maybank2u, we can continue to share our blessings and help the less fortunate while prioritising safety.”

Zakat fitrah can be paid online via the Maybank2u website while customers who prefer to use the
QRPay Zakat Fitrah only need to scan the QR code on the respective state zakat board’s websites to
make payment through their Maybank2u App. Currently, 10 State zakat bodies accept payments via
Maybank2u – Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu and
Wilayah Persekutuan - while Penang, Wilayah Persekutuan, Sarawak and Perak are also able to
accept payment via QRPay.

Maybank is also rewarding customers through the Raya Paling Gempak (RPG) campaign with prizes worth up to RM2 million. During the campaign period, customers can also donate to the less fortunate customers via Maybank2u website and app. Additionally, Maybank2u App users can choose to donate the cash rewards they receive from campaign initiatives to the MaybankHeart’s People’s Campaign, which aims to raise funds for at risk communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. This feature was first introduced in 2019 and raised over RM600,000 in donations for the less fortunate during the various festive seasons last year.

Zakat fitrah is an obligation on a Muslim and his dependents such as his wife, children who have not reached maturity, and parents. The person should possess more assets than he and his dependents need on Eid al-Fitr. If he is unable to pay zakat fitrah, the dependents may pay on it for themselves and on his behalf. For those who fast, it redresses sins that occurred during fasting. The money is given to the needy.

Moka sees F&B down, but delivery services grow during Ramadhan

Source: Moka.

Moka, a digital point-of-sale (POS) startup in Indonesia, has compared Ramadhan 2020 sales data against Ramadhan 2019.

The company found that daily business revenues in the food and beverage (F&B) sector were down more than 40% during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, with one out of every three F&B businesses in Indonesia suffering significant losses. However, revenue for delivery services were up by as much as 30%.

During Ramadhan in 2019, there had been up to a 67% rise in the number of food and beverage (F&B) outlets operating between 2 and 4 am. During these hours, consumers would tend to choose practical food for their suhoor (سحور, pre-dawn meal) and purchase up to five products during each transaction for group servings.

In the fashion retail industry, there had been up to a 50% revenue increase for Ramadhan 2019. The most popular items sold during Ramadhan would be tunics, hijabs and Islamic gowns (modesty clothing), which would see sales gradually decline after Ramadhan. Beauty services would instead enjoy higher revenues, by up to 54%, one month after Ramadhan. This shows that the public tends to seek beauty treatments once Ramadan concludes.

Although consumption patterns in Indonesia have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trends seen during Ramadhan 2019 cannot be entirely disregarded, said Moka. Moka Data Analyst Hutami Nadya said that one strategy that merits focus is online shopping.

To maximise shopping that makes use of delivery services, whether in the F&B as well as the service and retail industries, businesses can innovate by issuing special delivery menus that can be processed and cooked by the consumers themselves for suhoor and iftar (إفطار, breaking of the fast) with the family at home. This also applies in the retail and service industry, where businesses can introduce special packages for sale online.

"Businesses may take note of trends in society. For instance, for the purpose of cooking at home, F&B merchants are shifting to provide ready-to-cook food ingredients while providing the option of delivery services to support social distancing. Additionally, Ramadhan is the right moment to share with those who need more. We can start by adding the option of a menu to be donated to those in need. To record positive cashflow, merchants may also apply the pay-it-forward scheme for customers," she said.

Pay-it-forward is a prepayment scheme that allows customers to purchase product or service packages from a business that are delivered in the future. Businesses would usually offer price reductions in the form of coupons for customers. This scheme is expected to assist businesses to book positive cashflow for such purposes as rent, employee salaries, business capital installments, insurance, supplies of raw materials, repairs and other expenses.

Moka supports 40,000 merchants across 200 cities in Indonesia with an end-to-end solution that consists of POS, payments, loyalty, accounting, ingredient procurement, and business loans. The company's products include Moka Pay, Moka Fresh, Moka Capital, and Moka Connect to complement its POS services.

DBS introduces DBS eGifts for Eid

Source: DBS. DBS eGifts are now available for Eid.

Although safe distancing measures in place this Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya Puasa), the Muslim community in Singapore can still continue to preserve the tradition of exchanging green packets and well wishes digitally with DBS eGift, via DBS PayLah!.

Said Jeremy Soo, MD and Head of Consumer Banking Group (Singapore), DBS Bank, “The season of Ramadhan and Hari Raya is an important time for the Muslim community to celebrate as well as strengthen bonds among families and loved ones. In these unprecedented times, we are heartened to see individuals and communities looking to alternative ways to mark this special occasion, in order to keep everyone safe. We hope that our Hari Raya-themed DBS eGifts will help keep the spirit of exchanging well wishes via green packets alive, as they celebrate within their family households.”

Customers simply need to use DBS PayLah!, a mobile payment platform with close to 1.8 million users, to send and receive a DBS eGift. To send an eGift, tap on the ‘Pay’ button on DBS PayLah!’s dashboard and toggle on the ‘Send as eGift’ function after entering the desired amount and message. Givers should check that they are sending the eGift to official mobile numbers used by recipients to register for DBS PayLah! and/or PayNow*. The eGift can also be sent to mark other occasions all-year round such as birthdays and weddings, as well as Mother’s Day on 10 May and Father’s Day on 21 June.

Till 20 June 2020, those who successfully send or receive a DBS eGift are eligible to participate in the DBS PayLah! eGift contest. The top 200 users every week who make qualifying transactions of at least S$2 per transaction in a week stand a chance to win a cash prize of S$18 each. A qualifying transaction is defined as a successful DBS PayLah! eGift transaction between a unique giver-receiver pair (i.e. multiple transactions between the same giver-receiver pair are counted as one transaction). Each qualified user may win the weekly cash prize once throughout the contest.

DBS was the first bank to launch the first digital red packet in Singapore in 2015. This year, DBS eGift drew over 16,000 new eGift users and saw an increase of 20% in total amounts transacted during Chinese New Year compared to last year.

*PayNow is a peer-to-peer funds transfer service available to retail customers of nine participating banks in Singapore, including DBS/POSB. Launched in July 2017, PayNow enables customers to instantly send and receive Singapore dollar funds from one bank to another in Singapore through Fast And Secure Transfers (FAST) by using their mobile number or Singapore ID. This allows senders to do away with the recipient’s bank and account number when transferring money.

Taisys’ Mobisphere to establish Mobile eID joint venture with Nahdlatul Ulama

Source: Taisys. From left: Ho, Pituduh, and Azhan Muhammad, Director of Mobisphere. The signing ceremony took place on March 13, at Taisys Technologies' headquarters in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Taisys' Mobisphere and Nusantara Digital Inovasi (NDI), the digital transformation arm for Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), plan to set up a joint venture that will develop, implement and operate a mobile eID platform.

With over 110 million members, Indonesia's NU is set to bring about digital transformation for the largest autonomous Islamic organisation in the world based on a secured mobile ecosystem. Services provided via this mobile eID platform include, and not limited to, mobile identification and authentication, international telco services based on remote SIM provisioning technology, cross-border remittance, mobile banking and payment services.

"Taisys has long been a trusted mobile ID solution provider for banking services since the 2G/feature phone era. Now that smartphones and APPs manage our daily work and lives, the need to use the phone as a form of identity authentication and transaction authorisation is increasing ever more.

"The beauty of our mobile ID solution, which sets it apart from others, is that it can accommodate beyond authentication services for banking and fintech, to include digital SIM services where mobile subscriptions are downloaded onto the phone. This is the perfect example where the use case can be supported by the right technology, elevating the comprehensiveness and industry/device/telco agnostic nature of the Taisys mobile ID solution," stated Taisys Chairman Jason Ho.

"This mobile eID shall create the next level of digital ID security in addition to the services to be offered by NU to its communities such as mobile payments/ wallets, telco services, fintech and banking services. NU has worldwide members, and in upholding NU digital sovereignty objective and creating service layers within a secured environment, NU members in particular and Indonesian nationals in general will be benefitted most.

"NU has significant number of its members residing in Taiwan, Malaysia, Middle East and other parts of the world. For example, over 1 million NU members in Malaysia are regularly (sending remittances) to their loved ones, and through this JV initiative, it will create the digital security eco-system for NU communities in Indonesia and beyond. Not to mentioned their mobile daily usage for work and lives. This augurs well with NU's objective in digital transformation," said Imam Pituduh, Chairman of NU Digital Transformation Services.

Ady Seto Bremono, Mobisphere Indonesia Director, said that the partnership will add to the existing Mobisphere ecosystem which already involves banks, remittance providers and social media players.

"Mobisphere Flex in Malaysia is backed by an Islamic bank, while in Indonesia and other 20 corridor countries, it has cooperation with banks, financial institution non-bank, switching operator and social media players; therefore, through a mobile ID platform with services on top, it is truly is a working example of a complete ecosystem for NU communities," he said.

NU was established in 1926 in Surabaya, Indonesia. It is the largest independent Islamic organisation in the world, and exists to spread Islamic teaching. It also owns 44 universities, and is involved in economic and agricultural studies, and social activities including family planning.

Mobisphere is an ASEAN regional provider of mobile payment platforms and remittance switching services. It is a joint venture of Taiwan-headquartered Taisys, which provides mobile interconnectivity and vertical integration solutions.

DEWA signs payment plan agreement with DIB

Source: DEWA. Chilwan (left) with Al Tayer (right).

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has signed an agreement with Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) that allows customers to pay their bills in instalments of up to 12 months without additional fees when they use DIB credit cards.

“We strive to adopt innovative ways and mechanisms that enhance the quality of our services and achieve the happiness of our customers, based on the highest standards of efficiency and reliability. This supports our efforts to contribute to making Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world, and achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to make the government of Dubai proactive and creative in meeting the needs of individuals and society as a whole. The new service, in partnership with Dubai Islamic Bank, allows customers to pay DEWA’s bills in instalments, which makes them happier,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“Customers ultimately want simplicity and convenience when they engage with service providers. This is something we know and understand well, as we continually work to make the customer experience with DIB even more seamless. Our partnership with DEWA is an example of our dedication to finding ways to make our customers feel they have a bank that puts them first,” said Dr Adnan Chilwan, Group CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank.

After the bill is paid using DIB credit cards on DEWA’s website or smart app, the customer has to request the Easy Payment Plan, for a choice of instalment plans without any extra fees, from DIB online banking, mobile banking, DIB customer service centres or by sending ‘EPP’ in an SMS to 4224.

DEWA also has a similar contract in place with Mashreq Bank that was announced on 21 August.

Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank hold recruitment promotion for ADIB Etihad Guest Visa

Source: Etihad Airways website.

Etihad Guest, Etihad Airways’ loyalty programme, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), a UAE-based financial institution, have announced an offer for new applicants for the ADIB Etihad Guest Visa covered card.

Successful applicants can earn up to 100,000 Etihad Guest Miles* upon registration for the card in addition to enjoying benefits such as fast-tracking to Etihad Guest Gold Tier membership, and the highest mile per dirham earning rate on international card purchases. With 100,000 miles a cardholder can book a one way flight* to London in First Class, a one-way flight to Brisbane in Business Class or a return flight to New York in Economy Class, on Etihad Airways.**

Yasser Al Yousuf, Managing Director of Etihad Guest, said: “We are committed to continually providing our valued Etihad Guest members with the most innovative and rewarding products and services in the market. We have a successful partnership with ADIB, and our latest offer in partnership with ADIB’s award-winning ADIB Etihad Guest Visa covered card is the best card acquisition offer in the region.”

Philip King, Head of Retail Banking UAE, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, said: “Our successful partnership with Etihad Guest continues to bring outstanding value to our customers in the UAE. We are pleased to bring yet another offer to our customers and we are confident this will contribute in further cementing our position as a leading provider of value-added retail banking products and services.”

Interested?

Apply for the card. Applicants can call 800 2882 or SMS ‘FLY’ to telephone number 2400 to sign up for an ADIB Etihad Guest Visa Card. The special offer is valid for successful applications approved by 15 December 2015. 

Applicants can also visit the ADIB Etihad Guest travel card Member Centre located at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal 3. The facility is designed to meet the needs of existing cardholders to answer questions about the travel benefits of ADIB Etihad Guest cards as well as take new applications. The member centre will remain open until 15 January, 2016.

*Cardholders will receive an additional 50,000 Etihad Guest Miles on top of the 50,000 Etihad Guest Mile welcome bonus for the ADIB Etihad Guest Visa Platinum card upon meeting the minimum spend criteria within 45 days of card issuance.

**Actual miles required for GuestSeats vary per destination and travel class and are subject to availability. Carrier and airport surcharges apply.

Etihad Airways enables payment for flights to be collected from homes in Abu Dhabi

Guests now have access to more choices when making bookings on Etihad Airways’ website following the recent introduction of new online payment services.

The airline’s guests in the UAE can now book flights or ancillary services conveniently using Pay@home’s online payment option and have the cash collected from their nominated location within 24 hours.

Etihad Airways is the first airline in the Middle East to offer Pay@home, in cooperation with its payment partner, Payfort, which manages cash collection on behalf of the airline.

Pay@home offers a cash payment method enabling collection from homes - still a preferred payment option for many customers in the region.

Justin Warby, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Direct Sales, said: “In selecting additional payment methods for our guests, we took a very local approach. We wanted to give options which catered for the needs of our guests. The addition of Pay@home will make a significant difference to online bookings.

“With Pay@home, we now offer our guests in the UAE greater choice and flexibility when it comes to paying for the tickets they have booked online. This is part of our commitment to our guests to improve our service offering continuously.”

Interested?

Booking online can be done at www.etihad.com. When filling in the payment details, guests can choose “Home Cash Collection” as the payment method. Once they complete booking, guests will be contacted to confirm the address they have specified and a suitable time for the collection of payment. Courier teams will collect the payments and provide a receipt upon payment.

Pay@home purchases are available only if the reservation is made at least 48 hours before the flight’s departure and the payment is made within 24 hours at the location and time agreed for the collection. Fare price and availability may change or guests can request for the reservation to be cancelled.

The new payment options are only available for UAE Dirham (AED) transactions and for flights departing from Abu Dhabi, UAE. Future plans include expanding the Pay@home offering to other strategic markets of Etihad Airways.