To support Singapore’s Smart Nation efforts, DBS, in collaboration with the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), is partnering the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and NETS to introduce a digital payment feature in HPB’s Healthy 365 mobile app.
From Monday, 25 April 2022, Healthy 365 app users can convert their Healthpoints to HPB Credit$ in the app, and utilise them at more than 500 participating local F&B merchants that sell healthier options island-wide by scanning the NETS QR or SG QR code at the merchant’s store via the app.
With this initiative, DBS aims to encourage more merchants, many of which are SMEs, to go cashless and paperless. With this scan-and-pay solution, all sales will be automatically consolidated in a report at the end of each day and the funds received from the transaction would be credited to the merchant’s bank account by the next business day.
More than 2,500 F&B merchants are expected to be onboarded as participating outlets by end March 2023 for the acceptance of HPB Credit$.
Lim Soon Chong, Group Head of Global Transaction Services, DBS, said, “It is increasingly relevant for merchants to embrace digital forms of payment as the pandemic has dramatically boosted the use of contactless payment options.
Foo Wei Young, Director of Corporate and Industry Partnerships, HPB, said, “Through this partnership with GovTech, DBS and NETS, we are able to enhance our rewards programme so that our Healthy 365 users can directly use the rewards they have gained on healthier meals at hawker and coffeeshop stalls.
“”These stalls, which are onboard our Healthier Dining Programme, offer healthier options such as wholegrain meals and lower sugar beverages, which users can now conveniently spend their rewards on just by converting their Healthpoints to HPB Credit$.”
Steven Koh, Director, Government Digital Services, GovTech, said, “GovWallet enables us to help government agencies disbursing monies and credits to citizens, by enabling them to partner local banks and tap on the latter’s e-payments infrastructure as well as customise the list of merchants with which citizens can use their payouts in a secure and convenient way.”
Lawrence Chan, Group Chief Executive Officer, NETS (Network for Electronic Transfers), said, “More merchants are adopting QR as a means of payments and usage has accelerated significantly in the last two years across the extensive NETS’ merchant network.
“As Singapore progresses towards a smart nation, we are committed to increasing our acceptance points and staying focused on ensuring the best user experience at Point of Sale.”
Cho Ai Min, a 3rd generation owner of Cho Kee Noodle at Old Airport Food Center, said, “We are excited to be one of the early adopters of this scan-and-pay QR solution as it will provide our customers greater convenience and help to further grow our customer base. The solution also reduces the volume of cash we handle daily and the frequency of visiting a bank branch to deposit our earnings.”
There continues to be pick-up in adoption rates for DBS digital payment solutions. The bank has also seen robust increase in PayNow Corporate registrations. As a result of these collective efforts, 97% of payment transactions carried out by DBS’ corporate customers were done digitally in 2021.
