Group Managing Director of MEPS, Zulkanain Kassim says, “We are extremely proud to become the first IT company to be certified from Islamic perspectives. By infusing Syariah values into our organisation, we are enhancing our effectiveness and efficiency to continue providing innovative services to our member banks. This is in support of the Government’s efforts to propel Malaysia into a global hub for Islamic financial services.”

The MS 1900: 2005 – Quality Management Systems: Requirements from Islamic Perspectives certification is awarded to organisations that have incorporated the requirements of a Syariah Compliance Quality Management System. This means ensuring that the organisation is effectively managed in accordance with universally accepted values like discipline, honesty, justice, sincerity, timeliness and truthfulness. The halal and non-halal aspects of all processes vital for the delivery of services and products must also be identified and communicated to all employees as well as implemented effectively. The certification also signifies that capitals, processes and services are managed in accordance to Syariah principles. Organisations that aim to be certified in the MS 1900: 2005 standards must undergo a series of audit processes conducted by SIRIM QAS International, the leading certification body in Malaysia that offers this certification.

Chairman of MEPS, Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar says, “We are pleased to have found a technically sound leader in Zulkanain Kassim. He has a proven track record of success, and has the skills and passion to advance our organisation into a premier services provider in the region. We are confident that his experience and abilities will continue to create value at MEPS.”

Zulkanain joined MEPS in May 2010 as Head of Information Services where he was responsible for overall technology development and implementation, as well as provided direction to IT operations in line with Group strategies. He started his career in the financial industry 19 years ago and held various positions in local and foreign financial institutions with active involvement in projects such as core banking system implementation and integration, IT Strategic Plan, enterprise-wide system implementation and executive/management information system. He has also spearheaded various teams responsible for implementing strategic and compliance initiatives; in particular the online service for legal processing and documentation for credit facilities which was the first for the nation’s banking industry.

Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh who has been appointed as Managing Director of MyClear leaves MEPS after 9 years of service. He has a career spanning more than 20 years in various multi-national corporations including a 16-year period in the Information Services division of a commercial bank.

“Mohd Suhail has taken MEPS from strength to strength with his good foresight of the industry. His engagement and enthusiasm has driven many new plans and product ideas that have propelled MEPS forward to be more than just a switching agent and at the same time, contributed to the business of the banks,” says Dato’ Sri Wahid. “I join the members of the Board, management and staff in thanking him for his outstanding service, commitment and leadership.”

In September this year, MEPS divested its e-payment services to MyClear to sharpen its focus on expanding its Shared ATM Network and to form strategic partnerships with countries boasting high-traffic cross-border inbound and outbound travelers.

The acquisition encompasses the services of e-Debit, MEPS Interbank GIRO, MEPS Financial Process Exchange, MEPS Direct Debit and Mobile Banking. This move is in line with the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to evolve Malaysia’s financial services sector to serve the needs of businesses and consumers through creating an integrated payment eco-system.

“The acquisition of MEPS’ e-Payment services is a positive step towards expanding MyClear’s role in driving the acceptance of e-Payment. The acquired systems will complement the three existing systems operated by MyClear, which are Sistem Penjelasan Informasi Cek Kebangsaan Secara Elektronik (eSPICK), Real Time Electronic Transfer of Funds and Securities (RENTAS) and Fully Automated System for Issuing/Tendering (FAST). This integrated payment network infrastructure will enable MyClear to foster greater efficiency and innovation in the market and enhance collaboration with industry players to achieve new levels of excellence in service standards and accessibility,” said Dato’ Ooi Sang Kuang, Chairman of MyClear.

MEPS’ Chairman, Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, said that for over a decade, MEPS has been building the nation’s network infrastructure and offering multiple interbank services. In addition to operating the Shared ATM Network, MEPS has successfully developed and offered various e-payment services. More recently, MEPS’ has completed the development of a mobile banking solution which is scheduled to be launched in September 2011. Although significant progress has been achieved, the total volume of e-payments is still low compared to paper-based and cash related transactions.

“MEPS’ is committed to supporting the strategic objectives of increasing the adoption of e-payments and has thus agreed to divest its e-payment services to MyClear. Upon completion of the divestment, MEPS will focus on strategically expanding the Shared ATM Network as outlined in the ETP. MEPS will increase its partnership with high cross-border inbound and outbound traffic countries within Asia and amongst others, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. To date, MEPS has established partnerships with our neighbouring countries such as China, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.”

From left: Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh - MEPS Group Managing Director, Dato’ Ooi Sang Kuang - MyClear Chairman, Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar - MEPS Chairman and Datuk Mohamed Azmi Mahmood - MEPS Board of Director

MEPS Group Managing Director, Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh presented a cheque to Munirah Abdul Hamid from PERTIWI during the cheque presentation at MEPS@Horizon.

Targets to provide basic meals to 1000 people per month

Kuala Lumpur, 14 June 2011 – Malaysian Electronic Payment System Sdn Bhd (MEPS) has donated RM21,000 to the Pertubuhan Tindakan Wanita Islam (PERTIWI) Soup Kitchen Project to support their efforts to feed the homeless and hard core poor.

The Soup Kitchen initiated last year, provides meals at locations in Jalan Chow Kit and Puduraya, four nights a week to approximately 350 people per night.

MEPS Group Managing Director, Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh said MEPS has been supporting the PERTIWI Soup Kitchen Project since last year, with financial assistance and volunteers. “Our management and staff were motivated to be part of this programme because we feel that it is important that everyone is able to at least have one good meal a day. It is a basic human need. The work that PERTIWI Soup Kitchen and its volunteers are doing is commendable and they deserve every bit of support that we can give them.”

As a voluntary organization, PERTIWI relies on individuals and companies’ generous contribution to fund the Soup Kitchen Project. “We appreciate the continuous support from MEPS to this project. The funds will enable to sustain our efforts and we estimate that it will support at least 1,000 people per month,” said Munirah Abdul Hamid, PERTIWI Soup Kitchen Coordinator.

“We need to help those that have fallen on difficult times and that are hungry. They need to feel the love and support of their community and we hope that it will help them to get back on their feet,” Munirah added.

The PERTIWI Soup Kitchen provides humanitarian food-aid service to the hardcore poor irrespective of race or religion. To learn more about this project, please visit PERTIWI Soup Kitchen’s Facebook page or write to pertiwisoupkitchen@gmail.com.

According to MEPS Group Managing Director, Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh, the recorded transaction growth is impressive and definitely higher than forecasted.

“We recorded over 13.4 million transactions which was 12% more than our projections. There is a strong demand for the MEPS IBG service and MEPS is continuously investing resources to enhance the service for the benefit of our member banks and their customers. By Q2 next year, MEPS IBG will be enhanced to facilitate real time transfer of funds, thus allowing the crediting of funds into the beneficiary’s account almost immediately,” said Mohd Suhail.

In addition to introducing the said enhancement, MEPS has also focussed on increasing the number of financial institutions in the service. To date, there are 25 financial institutions participating in MEPS IBG with the most recent member, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) going live in early-May this year.

“We are pleased that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is now offering the MEPS IBG service to its corporate clients. MEPS IBG allows SMBC’s corporate customers to collect funds and pay employees or vendors more efficiently. It facilitates greater control over settlement, making forecasting of cash flow easier as well as reduces the costs associated with paper-based payments”, Mohd Suhail added.

MEPS IBG is recognised as a key e-payment service in support of the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme agenda to reduce usage of cheques and go cheque-less by 2020.

Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Chairman of MEPS said that MEPS@Horizon marks MEPS “second decade of serving the financial community and is a celebration of MEPS journey from being just a simple ATM network switch to that of a premier payment infrastructure provider and e-ACH (electronic-Automated Clearing House) for the financial services industry.”

Since its inception in 1997, MEPS has continued to grow from strength to strength, playing an integral role in the Malaysian financial landscape. In support of Bank Negara Malaysia’s aspirations for a cashless society, MEPS, in addition to its national ATM services, has successfully introduced a suite of services including MEPS FPX, MEPS Direct Debit, e-Debit and Interbank GIRO. MEPS’ has also in recent years, introduced several new ATM-based services, like funds transfer and mobile pre-paid top-up, as well as the Cross-Border ATM cash withdrawals with 5 countries.

Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid also said that in 2011, MEPS focus will be on initiatives that supports the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

“Together with Bank Negara Malaysia, the financial industry and our business partners, MEPS is geared towards enhancing the nation’s payment infrastructure to provide a wider array of payment channels and services, through the adoption of new technologies and by promoting payment innovations towards the migration to e-Payments,” he added.

MEPS@Horizon houses a state-of-the-art near Tier-4 Data Centre, switching and securing all interbank e-payment transactions with pre-eminent facilities. This security and reliability of services provided is evidenced by MEPS zero non-conformance rating for the ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management System surveillance audit, a recognized international standard for ISMS requirements. MEPS is also Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) certified.

MEPS will further expand our services and establish cross-border links between more countries as we continue to drive success in the payment services industry.