Wise has announced its direct integration into Malaysia’s national payments network, PayNet.
This milestone makes Malaysia the ninth market globally, and the fifth in the Asia Pacific region, where Wise has secured direct access to a domestic payment system.
As a result of this connection, the platform is introducing seamless payment features for its users, allowing them to both scan DuitNow QR codes and perform DuitNow Transfers directly from the Wise app.
Scan and pay with DuitNow QR on the Wise app
One of the most immediate consumer benefits of this PayNet integration is direct support for DuitNow QR, Malaysia’s national QR payment standard.
Whether you are a tourist visiting the country or a local resident making everyday purchases, you can use the Wise app to scan and pay at participating merchants without needing a separate local eWallet or banking app.
Yen Ting Chiam, Country Manager for Wise Malaysia, explained that offering access to DuitNow QR is a prime example of how the company is making moving money simpler, aiming to remove the friction from everyday transactions and bring greater convenience to consumers in Malaysia.
Simpler domestic transactions with DuitNow Transfer
Beyond retail QR payments, the PayNet integration allows Wise to introduce more streamlined methods for transferring Malaysian Ringgit domestically.
Through DuitNow Transfer, users no longer need to rely on complex and lengthy bank account details to send money to friends, family, or businesses.
Instead, you can send funds instantly using just a recipient’s registered mobile phone number, National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), army ID, or business registration number.
Additionally, to prevent misdirected funds, the Wise app will automatically display the recipient’s registered name for verification before the transfer is confirmed.
An expanding global QR payment ecosystem
DuitNow QR is just the latest addition to Wise’s rapidly growing list of supported payment networks.
The platform currently allows users to scan and pay using various international QR codes, making the app a versatile tool for frequent travellers. Most notably, the app supports the Alipay+ network across more than 50 countries.
Wise customers registered in Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil can utilise this feature, strictly provided they are travelling outside their home country.
This specific home country restriction also applies to a variety of regional QR networks powered by Alipay+. Eligible users from the aforementioned regions can scan NETS QR in Singapore, GCash QR in the Philippines, Alipay HK QR in Hong Kong, KakaoPay QR in South Korea, NepalPay QR in Nepal, Lanka QR in Sri Lanka, and KHQR in Cambodia, as long as they are travelling outside the country where their Wise account is registered.
For other networks, the integration is much more straightforward. All Wise customers globally can scan Wisetag anywhere, PayNow in Singapore, and QR Ph in the Philippines.
There are also specific requirements for certain domestic regions. Pix payments are supported globally but require users to have a Brazilian address and a BRL currency balance.
Similarly, Swiss QR-Bill scanning is reserved for customers in Switzerland or those holding a CHF balance, while the Hungarian Qvik QR is accessible to anyone with a HUF currency balance.
The company notes that it is actively working to support even more QR code networks for its users globally.
Faster global money movement and Wise Platform upgrades
By plugging directly into local payment systems like PayNet, Wise is actively reducing its dependency on traditional banking intermediaries.
This strategy lowers overall operational costs and boosts transaction speeds over time. At present, these direct global connections allow the company to process 77% of all transfers within 20 seconds, which is double the proportion achieved five years ago.
This newly established infrastructure in Malaysia will be accessible to enterprise banks and financial institutions via the Wise Platform. Partners utilising the Wise API will benefit from real-time recipient verification when setting up Malaysian Ringgit transfers, ensuring the recipient’s name matches the account before any money leaves the sender.
DuitNow feature availability: What works right now?
While the integration has officially been announced, users should note that the DuitNow QR scanning feature may not immediately work at every merchant standard nationwide. Wise is rolling out the QR payment feature progressively, and full availability across all DuitNow QR codes nationwide will be established over the coming weeks.
However, DuitNow fund transfers via recipient identification details are already live and fully functional. Users can currently send money instantly using a recipient’s registered mobile number, NRIC, army ID, or business registration number directly within the Wise app.
