Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli announced that the newly introduced Central Database Hub (PADU) by the government will not incorporate data from bank information systems. He clarified that the law prohibits the sharing of information from the national banking system.
FMT reports that in response to concerns from the public regarding potential integration of banking data into the PADU system, Rafizi stated, “The Financial Services Act explicitly prohibits such data sharing.”
PADU, a comprehensive database developed by civil servants from the economy ministry, the statistics department, and Mampu (the Malaysian administrative modernisation and management planning unit of the Prime Minister’s Department), integrates data from various government sources. Collaboration with different agencies is a key aspect of its development.
Rafizi provided examples of integrated data, including personal information from the national registration department, details from the ministries of education and higher education, and address information from utility companies like Tenaga Nasional and water supply operators.
Highlighting partnerships with the private sector, Rafizi encouraged public engagement by registering and updating their information in the PADU system.
He disclosed incentives such as Touch ‘n Go providing free NFC cards to the first 3,000 registrants and Mydin hypermarket offering purchase discounts to those registered with the system.
To promote PADU without using government funds, Rafizi encouraged more retailers and services to join the system. He highlighted PADU’s openness to third parties interested in utilising it to attract more customers or leverage digital services.