Bank Rakyat continues to be dedicated to advancing the digitalisation of Malaysia's banking scene

SHAH ALAM - Bank Rakyat continues to be dedicated to advancing the digitalisation of Malaysia's banking and financial scene by organising the three-day Bank Rakyat Technology Week 2023.

With the theme ‘Bank Rakyat of Tomorrow’, this campaign took place from March 14 to 16, 2023, and includes various interesting programmes, including Digital Forum and Tech Talk sessions featuring a line-up of speakers including industry experts and local and international personalities such as Cloud Mile-Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft.

This campaign was officiated today at the Bank Rakyat Twin Towers by the Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development Minister, Datuk Ewon Benedick.

In his opening speech, Ewon Benedick said that entrepreneurs, institutions, and related agencies need to explore and take advantage of the digital wave by developing ecosystems generated by technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile device networks, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and a deep learning mechanism.

"Bank Rakyat’s efforts to continue to stimulate the technology ecosystem and innovation in its business operations are an important step in driving the country’s desire to develop a digital economy agenda in line with the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital) initiative by the government," he explained.

Bank Rakyat Board Member, Haji Mohd Jafri Kudus, representing Bank Rakyat’s Acting Chairman, Datuk Mohd Irwan Mohd Mubarak, added that this initiative is indeed timely in helping realise the aspirations of the country and the banking industry while proving Bank Rakyat’s commitment in supporting Bank Rakyat’s digitalization agenda, as well as a digital transformation plan to emerge as a sustainable financial institution.

Bank Rakyat Business deputy chief executive officer Ahmad Shahril Mohd Shariff, said Bank Rakyat hoped this project could serve as a forum for discussions, inspiration, and the emergence of fresh concepts in the advancement of technology and digital innovation, particularly in the banking and financial sectors.

The opening ceremony of Bank Rakyat Technology Week 2023 also saw the debut of a number of new digital initiatives from Bank Rakyat, including QR Pay, which enables customers to make cashless payments easily and quickly by simply scanning a QR code via iRakyat mobile banking.

Bank Rakyat also introduced the E-Lelong Ar-Rahnu, an online auction site, which allows customers to bid on Pajak Gadai-i jewellery and gold items from anywhere.

Bank Rakyat also revealed a collaboration with its strategic partner, AirAsia Rewards, which was signed for the first time to introduce the Bank Rakyat-i Credit Card reward points exchange platform.

Bank Rakyat Credit Card-i holders can exchange airasia points for a variety of services, such as flights, accommodations, and deliveries such as airasia rides and airasia food.

Exhibition spaces, workshops, Fintech Showcases, and Q&A sessions were also organised as a networking platform for business units, agencies, and stakeholders to discuss digitisation issues, particularly initiatives to bridge the financial gap, thereby rebuilding a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital economic growth.

In another development, the winner of the Bank Rakyat Hackathon 2023 programme will receive a prize in the form of a 12-month subscription to Google Workspace.

This project is a partnership between Bank Rakyat and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan under the Bank Rakyat UNIpreneur initiative, with the goal of fostering innovative and creative thinking among students to create mobile applications that leverage their business models