Among the first government-mandated zakat institutions to promote Tap on Phone solution aimed at encouraging cashless payment

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 April 2023 – The Zakat Collection Centre under the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (Pusat Pungutan Zakat Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan) [“PPZ-MAIWP”] launched its pilot programme today aimed at offering ‘zakat fitrah’ payment acceptance Fasstap, a Software-based Point of Sale [“SoftPOS”] technology.

Under the terms of the collaboration with Fass Payment Solutions Sdn. Bhd. [“Fasspay”], those wishing to offer zakat will be able to do so using Tap on Phone contactless payment technology, which enables any Android devices with Near Field Communication [“NFC”] capabilities to accept payment in a secure and convenient manner.

Chief Executive Officer of PPZ-WAIWP Tuan Haji Abdul Hakim Amir Osman said, “This pilot is indeed a proud milestone for us as we will be among the first government-mandated zakat institutions in the world to accept card payment via Tap on Phone through Fasstap, which will enable those wanting to contribute their zakat with MyDebit (ATM cards) powered by Payments Network Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. [“PayNet”].”

“As the society turn to cashless solutions to pay for their daily activities, we believe this will offer a more convenient option for those with many dependents and encourage the younger cashless generation to fulfil their Islamic duties, Insya-Allah PPZ-MAIWP targets a total zakat fitrah collection of RM13.8 million throughout Ramadan this year.”

“Alhamdulillah, we are very grateful and honoured to kick start this pilot with PPZ-MAIWP. It will help us understand PPZ-MAIWP’s specific requirements while expanding our Fasstap functions to ensure a more seamless, convenient and secure zakat payment experience,” said Johan Zep Md Yusof, Head, Government and Public Sector Business Development of Fasspay. This is in line with our existing strategic aspiration – to support the government’s call to elevate Malaysia towards a more cashless society.”

Fasstap is currently being used to empower the Small Medium Enterprises communities including B40 micro merchants with a cost-effective payment solution that offers mobility to users. The solution also allows individual merchants including those running businesses from home to direct their earnings into their personal bank accounts.

The two organisations were eager to deploy the pilot test which at three selected locations – PPZ-MAIWP Head Office, Al-Syakirin Mosque at KLCC and Jalan Masjid India. The locations were selected to accommodate high traffic of zakat payers who are more tech-savvy and constantly looking for convenience completing payment transactions.

This year, PPZ-MAIWP assigned 921 amils (zakat collectors) for all Federal Territories including Putrajaya and Labuan. Each amil is assigned at a public location such as mosques, office buildings, shopping malls, public transportation stations and so on to reach out to more Muslims who want to pay their zakat fitrah.

Following this pilot, PPZ-MAIWP foresees a full deployment of Fasstap, where the zakat collection will be extended to other types of zakat harta including zakat pendapatan (income), zakat emas (gold), zakat simpanan (savings) to name a few.

There are also plans for Fasspay to develop a zakat-friendly payment ecosystem where key details can be entered before generating an official PPZ-MAIWP receipt, which will be emailed directly to each zakat payer for records and tax exemption purposes.