Kota Kinabalu: TNG Digital Sdn Bhd, the operator of the Touch ’n Go eWallet, has received official endorsement from the Sabah Labour Department (JTK Sabah) to be used as a recognised digital salary payment method for migrant workers in the State.
The endorsement allows employers in Sabah, including those operating in plantations and remote worksites, to pay wages digitally through TNG eWallet as an alternative to cash, following earlier approval by the Peninsula Labour Department and supporting wider adoption of digital wage payments in East Malaysia.
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Sabah’s labour-intensive sectors such as plantations, agriculture and construction continue to rely heavily on cash salaries, particularly in remote areas with limited access to banking services, exposing employers to higher operational burdens, security risks and compliance challenges linked to manual cash handling.
TNG Digital chief executive officer Alan Ni said cash has remained the default for many employers because digital salary options were previously difficult to implement on the ground.
“With JTK Sabah’s recognition, employers can now disburse salaries digitally through their existing banking setup, while migrant workers gain a secure and accessible salary account,” he said.
Ni said more than 100,000 migrant workers nationwide already receive their salaries via TNG eWallet, with over RM3.5 billion disbursed in 2025 alone, showing that it is “a safe, scalable and practical wage payment solution that also advances financial inclusion in Sabah”.
Each verified TNG eWallet user is assigned a DuitNow account number, enabling employers to make bulk salary transfers through existing bank cash management platforms without system integration or retraining, while improving payroll transparency, reconciliation and audit readiness.
For employers’ HR and operations teams, the platform reduces administrative work as workers can manage account security directly through features such as face verification PIN resets and instant card locking or replacement.
For migrant workers, TNG eWallet provides a secure way to store wages, withdraw cash and make payments worldwide using the Touch ’n Go eWallet Visa Card, alongside free peer-to-peer transfers, DuitNow bank transfers and in-app remittance services to send money home.
The endorsement by JTK Sabah is seen as a timely step for employers to modernise payroll operations, reduce cash-handling risks and strengthen compliance, while supporting financial and digital inclusion for migrant workers across Sabah.
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