Debia Malaysia meets Bank Negara Malaysia requirements for commencement, marking the Group's next step in building a Southeast Asian payment ecosystem

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia and SINGAPORE, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Debia is expanding its merchant acquiring business into Malaysia, marking the next phase of the Singapore-headquartered payments group's regional growth strategy.

The expansion follows Debia Sdn. Bhd. ("Debia Malaysia") meeting the expectations and conditions stipulated by Bank Negara Malaysia ("BNM") for the commencement of its merchant acquiring operations. This builds on the In-Principle Approval previously granted by BNM and paves the way for Debia Malaysia to roll out merchant acquiring services across the country.

Entry into Malaysia extends Debia's acquiring footprint beyond Singapore, establishing a strategic operational base from which the Group can deepen its participation in Southeast Asia's increasingly interconnected payments landscape.

Debia Malaysia will leverage the Group's acquiring capabilities, payment technology, and partner network to support Malaysian businesses across physical and digital commerce. Its integrated platform supports a comprehensive range of payment methods, including major card schemes, QR payments, digital wallets and alternative payment channels.

By combining Debia's technology and infrastructure with local market capabilities and strategic partnerships, the Malaysian arm is positioned to respond to the evolving needs of local merchants while strengthening the Group's cross-border connectivity.

Derrick Tham, Group Chief Executive Officer of Debia, said:

"Malaysia represents a significant milestone in Debia's evolution as a regional payments business. Meeting Bank Negara Malaysia's requirements reflects the rigorous work undertaken to establish strong governance, compliance, and operational foundations for our Malaysian operations.

"Our focus now is execution — building a sustainable business in Malaysia, fostering strong local partnerships and delivering practical payment solutions that are relevant to how merchants operate and grow. As commerce becomes increasingly integrated across Southeast Asia, we aim to build Debia with strong local roots and cross-border reach, maintaining the discipline required for long-term scalability."

Malaysia marks the next phase of Debia's regional expansion as the Group systematically scales its merchant acquiring and payment infrastructure across Southeast Asia. The Group's regional strategy is centred on establishing robust local operations supported by a shared technology core and extensive payment connectivity, anchored by regulatory compliance, governance, and operational resilience as foundations for sustainable growth.

About Debia

Debia is a Singapore-headquartered payments technology group providing merchant acquiring and payment solutions to businesses.

Debia Pte. Ltd. is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Major Payment Institution to provide merchant acquisition, domestic money transfer and cross-border money transfer services.

Through its integrated payment platform and network of payment partnerships, Debia supports businesses across multiple payment methods and channels. The Group is expanding its presence across Southeast Asia, with Malaysia representing the next stage of its regional development.

Investment by the Shenzhen-listed technology group strengthens Debia's technology capabilities and accelerates its ambition to become a leading digital payments platform across ASEAN.

SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Debia Pte. Ltd. ("Debia"), a Singapore-based financial technology company licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore ("MAS") as a Major Payment Institution, today announced a strategic investment and partnership with Newland Digital Technology Co., Ltd. ("Newland"), a technology and digital commerce group listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE: 000997).

The investment follows the strategic agreement between Debia and Newland signed on June 8 and marks a defining milestone in Debia's growth, establishing a strategic partnership to support its next phase of development across Southeast Asia.

Advancing Digital Payments Across ASEAN

With ambitions extending beyond payment processing, Debia aims to build a reliable and integrated digital payments ecosystem that enables merchants to accept payments seamlessly, reach customers across borders and participate more actively in ASEAN's rapidly growing digital economy.

This partnership marks an important step towards realising that vision.

Newland contributes expertise in payment technology, artificial intelligence, smart payment terminals, digital commerce and merchant services. Combined with Debia's regulated payments platform and regional market expertise, the partnership creates a strong foundation for innovation and sustainable growth.

In the near term, the partnership will focus on strengthening Debia's technology infrastructure, accelerating the development of new merchant solutions, and deepening collaboration with banks, payment partners and the broader payments ecosystem.

Looking further ahead, the partnership is expected to expand Debia's regional presence, enhance its cross-border payment capabilities and advance the development of increasingly intelligent and integrated payment solutions. Potential areas of collaboration include artificial intelligence applications within the payment ecosystem, merchant digitalisation, international card-scheme initiatives, cross-border acquiring and remittance, and new digital commerce solutions.

Commenting on the investment, Derrick Tham, Chief Executive Officer of Debia, said:

"Newland's investment is a powerful endorsement of Debia's regulated platform, merchant ecosystem and the long-term vision for Southeast Asia. The partnership brings together two companies with complementary strengths and a shared commitment to advancing digital payments in the region. We believe this partnership will create new opportunities to enhance merchant solutions, strengthen cross-border payment capabilities and contribute to the continued growth of ASEAN's digital payments ecosystem."

As Debia enters this next phase of growth, it remains committed to maintaining high standards of regulatory compliance and governance, delivering reliable and transparent merchant services, continuing to innovate, and expanding responsibly across the region. Together with Newland, Debia is well positioned to contribute to the continued growth of digital payments across Southeast Asia.

About Debia Pte. Ltd.

Debia Pte. Ltd. (UEN: 201117573N) was incorporated in Singapore on 22 July 2011. It is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Major Payment Institution for merchant acquisition, domestic money transfer and cross-border money transfer services.

Debia provides secure and integrated payment solutions to more than 3,000 merchants, supporting e-commerce and in-store acceptance across cards, digital wallets and alternative payment methods. Debia offers more than 40 payment solutions and has been recognised as a Singapore SME500 company for three consecutive years.

About Newland Digital Technology Co., Ltd.

Newland Digital Technology Co., Ltd. is a technology and digital commerce group listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under stock code 000997. Its businesses span payment technology, smart payment terminals, artificial intelligence, digital commerce, merchant services and industry digitalisation.

Debia Pte. Ltd.
Website: www.debia.co