WeChat, one of the popular messaging applications from China has now announced that they will end the WeChat Pay offer for Malaysian users, effective September 1, 2024. This step is said to be taken as a strategy to adjust their business.
WeChat Pay will no longer accept new digital wallet user registrations starting this August 2024, and will subsequently terminate the payment service effective September 1, 2024. Users can withdraw funds from WeChat Pay until December 31, 2024.
Users can manage withdrawals by going to the WeChat application, and on the WeChat account, select Me > Pay and Services > Balance > Withdraw, to withdraw.
WeChat stated that users can still use Weixin Pay which allows Malaysian users to make payments while in China, and vice versa.
WeChat Pay was previously introduced in 2018 in Malaysia, and offered several payment facilities at launch, including at gas stations and mamak shops. However, its use is not seen as widespread, let alone with the introduction of digital wallets at that time.