TNG eWallet and Kakitangan.com Bring Direct Salary Payments to Malaysia's Unbanked Workers

A new route from payroll to the digital wallet

TNG Digital, the company behind Touch 'n Go (TNG) eWallet, has partnered with human resources platform Kakitangan.com to let employers pay salaries directly into employees' eWallet accounts. The integration gives workers without traditional bank accounts another way to receive their wages, while bringing salary payments into the same app they can use for purchases, transfers and other financial services.

The partnership connects Kakitangan.com's payroll system with DuitNow Bulk Transfer, allowing businesses to send salaries to multiple employees' TNG eWallets. Each wallet has a unique DuitNow account number that can receive money from banks or eWallets in Malaysia, providing a way to receive income similar to a conventional bank account.

Two figures show the potential reach: more than two million foreign workers already use TNG eWallet, and Kakitangan.com serves more than 10,000 businesses across Malaysia. Many of those businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, with employees whose access to banking differs.

For migrant workers, people earning lower incomes and others who face difficulties opening bank accounts, the change addresses a practical problem: how to receive wages securely without depending on cash. Gig workers and people working in the informal sector are also among the groups whose access to conventional financial services can be limited.

Malaysia's Department of Labour, Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Semenanjung Malaysia (JTKSM), recognises TNG eWallet as a compliant salary account. That recognition gives employers a route to pay wages into the wallet within labour requirements, including for employees who do not have bank accounts.

Why access to a salary account matters

Opening a traditional bank account can involve documentation requirements, minimum deposits and communication difficulties caused by language barriers. Workers who cannot meet those requirements may depend on cash wages, leaving them with fewer ways to receive, store and spend money digitally.

Malaysia has high levels of bank account ownership, yet millions remain unbanked or underbanked, particularly among migrant workers and people in the informal sector. Unbanked people have no bank account. Underbanked people have access to some banking services but still face gaps in the services they need.

Financial inclusion means making financial services accessible and affordable regardless of a person's circumstances. In this partnership, the immediate task is specific: make it possible for a worker without a conventional bank account to receive a salary electronically and then use that money through the wallet.

TNG Digital chief executive officer Alan Ni described the partnership as a response to those barriers:

Financial inclusion has always been at the heart of our mission. With this partnership, we are addressing the real pain points of individuals who lack access to traditional bank accounts by providing them with a secure and accessible salary solution through the TNG eWallet.

Workers receiving wages this way gain access to tools for storing, tracking and spending their income. The aim is greater financial independence and participation in Malaysia's digital economy, particularly for people whose lack of a bank account has kept them reliant on cash.

How employers send wages to an eWallet

Kakitangan.com's human resources and payroll platform provides the employer's starting point. A business can initiate salary payments in bulk, using employees' DuitNow account numbers to direct the money into their TNG eWallets.

DuitNow Bulk Transfer is part of Malaysia's national payment infrastructure. It supports instant, secure transfers across banks and eWallets, connecting the employer's payment process with the employee's wallet rather than requiring every recipient to hold a traditional bank account.

The process brings together four functions:

• Employers initiate payments to multiple workers through Kakitangan.com's payroll system.
• Each employee's unique DuitNow account number identifies the receiving TNG eWallet.
• The recognised salary account provides a route for payments that meet labour requirements.
• Employees receive their wages instantly and can access payments, transfers, remittances and cash withdrawals.

A DuitNow account number is useful beyond a single employer's payroll. It also allows the wallet holder to receive funds from participating banks and eWallet providers in Malaysia. For a worker without a bank account, the same receiving function can therefore support salary payments and other transfers.

What changes for small businesses

Kakitangan.com's network of more than 10,000 businesses gives the integration a route into workplaces where payroll teams may be small and employees have different banking needs. For SMEs, paying workers who lack bank accounts can add manual work to the monthly salary process.

The integration is intended to reduce that administrative burden by automating salary disbursements. Sending payments through the payroll platform can reduce manual handling and the risk of errors, while supporting timely payments to employees who would otherwise need a different arrangement.

Kakitangan.com director Effon Khoo explained how the wallet option fits the platform's work with smaller companies:

The integration with TNG eWallet makes our payroll offerings more inclusive and efficient, supporting Malaysian SMEs whose employees prefer digital wallets and enabling timely, automated, and secure salary payments.

Employers also gain a recognised way to pay employees without bank accounts while meeting local labour rules. For workers who previously experienced delays or difficulties accessing wages, reliable payments can improve their experience at work and support employee satisfaction and retention.

The business benefits extend to adopting digital processes. A company that already uses Kakitangan.com for human resources and payroll can add an eWallet salary destination as part of its move towards digital administration, alongside Malaysia's broader shift towards cashless transactions.

What workers can do after payday

Employees can use wages received in TNG eWallet for more than transfers between accounts. DuitNow QR payments and the TNG Visa Card provide access to purchases at millions of merchants nationwide, allowing salary income to move directly into everyday spending.

Remittance services are another part of the wallet's usefulness for migrant workers. Sending money abroad is a central financial need for people supporting family members in their home countries, and the wallet provides access to that service alongside receiving wages.

Cash remains an option. Employees with the linked TNG Visa Card can withdraw money at ATMs, giving them flexibility when they need physical currency rather than a digital payment.

The app also provides tools to store, track and manage funds. Having salary income and spending activity in the same wallet can help workers follow their finances, reduce reliance on cash and develop financial literacy, meaning the knowledge needed to understand and manage money.

For an employee who previously received cash wages, the practical change is a wider choice of how to use the same earnings: pay a merchant digitally, transfer money, send funds abroad, keep money in the wallet or withdraw cash when needed.

Labour recognition and financial regulation

JTKSM's recognition of TNG eWallet as a compliant salary account is central to the arrangement. Employers need a payment method that meets labour requirements, while employees need access to wages through an accepted channel.

The recognition means salary payments made into TNG eWallet can meet the applicable legal requirements and remain within the protections of Malaysian labour law. It also gives businesses a basis for using the wallet within their payroll procedures, including when workers do not have bank accounts.

TNG Digital is regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia as an approved issuer of electronic money, commonly called e-money. In simple terms, an eWallet holds money electronically so its user can make payments and transfers through the service.

Labour recognition and financial regulation address different parts of the arrangement. JTKSM's role concerns the wallet's acceptance for salary payments. Bank Negara Malaysia's regulation concerns TNG Digital's operation as an e-money issuer within Malaysia's regulated financial system.

Together, these arrangements support trust in the payment channel and the safeguarding of funds. Employers can assess the wallet as a recognised salary destination, while workers receive income through a regulated financial service.

A payroll change within a wider digital shift

Digital wallets were already widely used in Malaysia before this payroll integration. In 2024, 88% of Malaysians used eWallets, reflecting how deeply digital payments had entered everyday transactions.

The government and private sector have promoted digital payments to expand financial inclusion, reduce dependence on cash and support economic growth. The salary partnership extends that shift to the point at which workers receive their income, connecting payroll with tools already used for spending and transfers.

TNG Digital has also expanded services for businesses and consumers. Its recent initiatives cover business accounts, online purchases and fuel payments:

• A business account designed primarily for mobile use gives micro businesses and gig workers access without account costs, paperwork or a minimum balance. It offers instant onboarding and payments in real time.
• Integration with Google Pay allows secure online payments through Chrome and other platforms.
• A partnership with Setel lets TNG eWallet users pay for fuel at more than 1,000 PETRONAS stations.

These services place the salary integration within a broader network of financial activities. A worker can receive income digitally and use the wallet across shopping, transfers and fuel purchases, while smaller businesses gain access to digital payment tools of their own.

How the partnership fits inclusion goals

The World Bank and Bank Negara Malaysia have identified financial inclusion as a driver of economic development, poverty reduction and social mobility. The goal is to give people meaningful access to financial services regardless of their income or background.

The payroll partnership applies that goal to an everyday need. Workers require a dependable way to receive their pay before they can decide how to save, spend or send it. Removing the need for a traditional bank account from that step broadens access to electronic salary payments.

Migrant workers are a substantial part of the opportunity because more than two million foreign workers already use TNG eWallet. Their existing use of the app gives the salary service an audience familiar with the wallet, including people who need to send money home.

Employers benefit from simpler administration, while employees gain more direct access to their earnings and financial tools. The partnership connects those interests: a payroll process that is easier for a business to operate can also make wages easier for its workers to receive.

Digital skills and security remain practical challenges

Older workers and people less familiar with smartphones or financial apps may need support before they can comfortably receive and manage wages through an eWallet. Digital literacy, the ability to understand and use digital tools, can affect whether an accessible service is also easy to use.

Employers and human resources platforms therefore have a role in education and support. Helping workers understand the payment process and the wallet's functions is part of making digital payroll useful across a workforce with different levels of experience.

Cybersecurity and fraud prevention are also central concerns as more money moves digitally. Strong security measures and awareness of scams and unauthorised transactions are needed to protect users and maintain confidence in electronic payments.

The partnership brings together an established wallet, a payroll platform serving thousands of businesses and recognition from labour authorities. Its concrete contribution is another route for wages to reach employees, especially those who have faced barriers to conventional banking, while retaining options for digital spending, remittances and cash access.

Key Points

• TNG Digital and Kakitangan.com have enabled direct salary payments into TNG eWallet through DuitNow Bulk Transfer.
• Employees can receive wages using their wallet's unique DuitNow account number without needing a traditional bank account.
• More than two million foreign workers use TNG eWallet, while Kakitangan.com serves more than 10,000 businesses in Malaysia.
• JTKSM recognises TNG eWallet as a compliant salary account, and Bank Negara Malaysia regulates TNG Digital as an approved e-money issuer.
• Workers can access purchases, transfers, remittances, money management tools and ATM withdrawals using the linked TNG Visa Card.
• Digital skills, security and protection against scams remain practical priorities as employers adopt wallet salary payments.