4th September 2026 - 2 min read
International visitors spent more than RM1 billion through Touch ‘n Go (TNG) eWallet during the first six months of Visit Malaysia 2026. Most of that spending was made at shops and businesses across the country.
That brings total spending by international visitors through TNG eWallet to RM2.58 billion since they were first able to use the service in April 2025. Visitors from Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, China, Thailand and Australia were among the biggest users during the period.
Accepting card payments can be expensive for smaller businesses, which means some hawker stalls and night market traders may not be able to accept payments from international visitors. QR payments give these businesses another way to accept cashless payments.
TNG Digital chief executive officer Alan Ni said the success of Visit Malaysia 2026 should also be measured by how widely tourist spending reaches businesses, including smaller merchants that may not accept international cards.
TNG Digital said 76% of tourist transactions were made at physical businesses. Retail accounted for 43% of the total spending, while food and restaurants made up another 40%.
So much of the money tourists spend through the eWallet is going towards everyday purchases such as food and shopping.
TNG eWallet has also expanded beyond payments into other financial and lifestyle services. International visitors can use the eWallet to make QR payments at participating businesses across Malaysia.
TNG Digital said it plans to add more businesses to the network as Visit Malaysia 2026 continues.
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Christina writes about personal finance with an eye for making the complicated feel straightforward. She is drawn to the everyday money decisions people face and genuinely enjoys finding the clearest way to explain them. Between articles, she is probably napping, on a hiking trail, or terrorising her sister’s cats.
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