NTT DATA’s e-pay Opens Sabah Office to Sign Up More Shops in East Malaysia
NTT DATA Payment Services has opened a new office for its e-pay business in Penampang, Sabah, as it pushes to sign up more small shops across East Malaysia. The company says it wants to grow its merchant network in Sabah and Sarawak over the next three years, targeting SMEs and neighbourhood retailers that sell everyday digital services at the counter.
Key facts
- The Penampang office, in Greater Kota Kinabalu, opened on 11 November 2026.
- e-pay says it has nearly 65,000 points of sale across Malaysia and covers 23 districts in Sabah.
- Its Sabah network handles more than 15 million digital transactions a year.
- The company aims to expand its merchant base in Sabah and Sarawak over the next three years.
- Target merchants include convenience stores, pharmacies, mini-markets, retailers and community businesses.
What e-pay does
e-pay is not a consumer e-wallet. It runs a counter-based network that lets shops sell digital services to walk-in customers. A customer can hand over cash at a sundry shop and, through the shop’s e-pay terminal or system, top up a prepaid mobile line, pay a utility bill, reload an e-wallet, buy game credits or make a loan repayment.
The company says merchants can offer all of these services through a single system, which gives small shops an extra source of income without needing separate set-ups for each provider. Its Sabah network already reaches towns such as Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Keningau, Beaufort, Papar, Kota Belud and Kudat.
Group chief executive Sean Hesh described East Malaysia as an important growth opportunity for the payments industry. Chong Chin Keong, e-pay’s head of business, said the new office would let the team work more closely with merchants and partners on the ground.
What it means for Malaysians
For many people in Sabah and Sarawak, the local shop is still the easiest place to pay a bill or reload a phone, especially in smaller towns where bank branches are far away and not everyone uses mobile banking. A bigger, better-supported agent network means:
- Consumers can keep using cash to pay for digital services close to home, including topping up e-wallets such as those used for DuitNow QR payments.
- Merchants and SMEs get an extra revenue stream and a reason for customers to walk in, with local staff to help with set-up and support.
- Billers and lenders reach customers in areas where online payment use is still catching up.
The move also shows that Malaysia’s shift to cashless payments is uneven. While Peninsular cities move quickly to QR codes and tap-to-pay cards, “cash-in” points at shops remain a key bridge for people who earn and spend in cash. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the central bank, has made financial inclusion in rural and underserved areas a long-running goal, and agent networks like this one help fill that gap.
NTT DATA Payment Services, part of Japan’s NTT DATA group, also runs the Paysys card and terminal business. In October, Paysys deployed its first unattended, self-service payment terminal with Bank Rakyat at Menara Kembar Bank Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur.
What to watch
- Whether e-pay opens more offices or service points in Sarawak to match its Sabah push.
- How many new merchants it signs up in East Malaysia over its three-year plan.
- Whether counter-based top-ups help lift e-wallet and DuitNow QR use in smaller Sabah towns.
Related: How Malaysia’s payment system works · Malaysia’s e-wallet war
Sources: NTT DATA Payment Services (November 2026) · Fintech News Malaysia (November 2026) · NTT DATA Payment Services (October 2026)
