The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) has begun piloting their cashless society programme with self-service card terminals at LaundryHub’s Sengkurong branch.
AITI’s IT vendor for the project, local startup Beep Digital Solutions, has installed a credit/debit card terminal for customers to purchase laundry tokens, a process typically done by inserting cash or coins.
The laundromat’s management will also receive a digital monitoring tool which enables them to track the terminal’s transactions remotely in real-time.
Following the launch of the card terminals at LaundryHub’s Sengkurong branch on January 18, the service will be added to their Mentiri location next month. Beep’s director Hj Malai Faizulrizal Hj Malai Ali said laundromats keen on participating in the pilot can engage them or AITI directly.
“In this next phase (for laundromats) the (cashless) project will offer QR code payment and redemption, so people will be able to purchase tokens (or credits) through their phones, anytime, anywhere,” he said.
AITI’ cashless society pilot targets digitising three popular sites where residents typically pay with cash; retail or convenience stores, parking, and laundromats.
AITI and Beep’s plans for each of these business activities is to offer cashless payment alternatives and digital systems that also increase efficiency for both customers and vendors.
For retail and small businesses, the solution will be an e-Commerce store that will list their existing inventory and other offered products and services onto a virtual store which customers can purchase from. As a standardised system, vendors will be able to set up the Beep virtual store without much need for specialised development.
Their parking solution, dubbed Parking.BN, is a mobile application integrating different paid parking operators across the country. The application will enable drivers to make payments, book slots, access seasonal passes, and view available parking slots. Both solutions are being targeted for implementation this year.
AITI and Beep signed an MoU in November 2020 to undertake the pilot, which is part of the government’s wider aspirations under its Digital Economy Masterplan 2025.
The pilot aims to trial digital payment and monitoring solutions in popular, consumer-facing business sectors. Beyond the pilot, AITI also hopes to facilitate uptake of cashless solutions to other verticals including vending machines and smart lockers.
