Echoing Bank Negara Malaysia’s Financial Sector Blueprint 2022-2026, designed to accelerate e-payment adoption and cultivate a digital payment culture, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) implemented cashless payments in all outlets on campus in 2017. The success of this endeavour was evident in the fruitful outcomes of the Digital Campus 2.0 campaign, organised by Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet).

The campaign's culmination, held on January 18th at Le Meridien, Putrajaya, saw APU crowned as the champion among private higher education institutions (HEIs) for recording the highest cashless transactions per capita. Tasked with shaping a cashless society, the Digital Campus 2.0 campaign for 2023 assigned each institution's student body to present campaign proposals to PayNet, focusing on fostering the adoption of digital payments within their campus ecosystems.

Within a mere three months, APU achieved a remarkable 38 cashless transactions per capita from October to December 2023, totalling an outstanding 500,000 cashless transactions. This achievement resulted in the university and the student body being awarded a substantial RM150,000 cash prize. Additionally, the student body was recognised as the ‘Best Pitch’ at the campaign's finale.

The award ceremony was formalised by PayNet Chairman Datuk Ahmad Hizzad Baharuddin and PayNet Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Farhan Ahmad, with the honourable presence of Higher Education Director-General Professor Dr. Azlinda Azman.

Dissecting the significance of the numbers, APU Student Representative Council (SRC) President, Chung Yu Qin, and Secretary, Chu Kwan Yeu Jovi James, both presented at the final pitch, highlighted that participating universities were judged based on a transaction per capita and the cost per transaction.
 

With 28 public and private HEIs participating, over 405,000 students generated 11.8 million online and over-the-counter cashless transactions during the campaign. The public HEI champion was the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Terengganu Branch.

Chung Yu Qin, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering with Honours degree at APU, explained the importance of the 38 transactions per capita at APU, indicating that each individual made approximately 38 transactions in the specified period. Furthermore, dividing the total cost by the total number of transactions resulted in an effective cost per cashless transaction at APU, equivalent to RM0.054.
 

Chu Kwan Yeu Jovi James, a Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) (Artificial Intelligence) student, highlighted SRC's role in hosting events like the International Cultural Night (ICN) 2023, promoting cashless payments through e-wallets and DuitNow QR, covering aspects from ticket and merchandise sales to food and beverage transactions by external vendors.

The duo emphasised that APU’s in-house payment method, "APCard," embedded with cash-loading functionality, played a crucial role in the university's victory. They emphasised the importance of fostering a cashless university lifestyle, proposing the usage of other cashless payment methods like e-wallets and QR codes.

As the student body, APU SRC believes in leading, setting good examples, and acting as the voice of the students, aspiring for students to practice cashless payment habits and work towards a cashless environment together.

During the PayNet Digital Campus 2.0 campaign's pitch sessions, the judges acknowledged APU’s strong points, particularly the usage of APCard as a self-made digital payment ecosystem alongside PayNet’s DuitNow, FPX, and JomPay services.

The final pitching, incorporating a voting system as part of the judging criteria, took place on January 18, with a panel of judges featuring industry leaders such as Dato’ Adissadikin Ali, the CEO of RHB Islamic Bank, Mr Iskandar Shah Zulkarnain, Group Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Bank Islam, and Mr Firdaus Ghani, PayNet Government Digitalisation Division Senior Director.

Reflecting on their learning curves during the campaign, both Chung Yu Qin and Chu Kwan Yeu Jovi James concluded that the experience not only enhanced their critical thinking skills but also provided them with an edge for the future working environment.

Ms Hashanna Abdul Halim, Assistant Manager of Student Affairs and the SRC advisor commended the dedication and collaboration seamlessly woven by APU SRC throughout the campaign. “Their unwavering determination paints a portrait of pride, working diligently, independently, yet under our guiding supervision. Together, they craft a masterpiece of excellence. Kudos to the team for their outstanding commitment and collective brilliance,” said Hashanna.