PayNet Fintech Hub drives new wave of ecosystem evolution

Source: PayNet. PayNet's flagship TGI Friday (TGIF) event in October 2025 drew more than 200 founders, investors, financial institutions and partners, reflecting growing momentum and collaboration across Malaysia’s fintech landscape.

Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) has accelerated sustainable fintech growth in Malaysia through the PayNet Fintech Hub, strengthening the visibility of Malaysian fintechs locally and beyond. The structured ecosystem is designed to help Malaysian startups build, test and scale by giving them direct access to industry partners, capital support and practical mentorship. 

Since launching in May 2025, the Hub has made a difference for 50 fintechs. Startups have been supported by 50 ecosystem partners across banking, tech, investment and shared services. The fintechs have received value-added support exceeding RM5 million, RM3 million in cloud credits and more than 450 hours in mentorship. The startups have raised more than US$1 M, and their solutions that could potentially benefit over 8 million underserved Malaysians and 800,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“The PayNet Fintech Hub is built to turn innovation into real-world impact. Through proofs-of-concept developed with industry partners, we are seeing practical solutions come to life. From smart contracts that improve trust and efficiency, to cashback programmes on daily essential items. These are solutions that support financial inclusion for MSMEs, as well as buy now, pay later services tailored for convenience stores. These outcomes mark just the beginning for the Hub, and demonstrate how fintech can solve everyday challenges, strengthen businesses and improve financial access,” said Gary Yeoh, CMO, PayNet.

The Hub has facilitated 11 opportunities for 26 fintechs encompassing pilots and collaborations, including seven fintech-corporate pilots and four fintech-fintech pilots. Initiatives supported through the RM1 million PayNet Credit Fund include Buzz’s optical character recognition-powered cashback engine with Touch ’n Go, as well as Fluid’s payment digitalisation initiative with a global fast-moving consumer goods brand.

The Hub is also running a bespoke immersive programme at Imperial College London that prepares Malaysian fintechs to scale and compete globally. Through the PayNet x Imperial CATALYST Programme, 10 Malaysian fintechs are currently participating in a first-of-its-kind, 10-week curriculum designed specifically for Hub founders. The focus is on translating global learnings into Malaysian use cases, culminating in a Demo Day in March 2026. 

The Hub is a not-for-profit initiative under PayNet, which serves as the backbone of Malaysia’s national payments infrastructure. The initiative reflects PayNet’s broader purpose of enabling secure, efficient and inclusive financial services for the rakyat, and applies that same mission to supporting fintech founders. Its focus is simple: strengthen the fintech pipeline and support national goals in digital finance and financial inclusion.