PayNet Expands Program Akar With AI Talent Engine For Malaysia's Financial Sector
Second row: (5th from the left) Jun Maria Abdullah Tan, Senior Director, PayNet Akar; (9th from the left) Farhan Ahmad, GCEO, PayNet; (10th from the left) Laurence Si, Managing Director, Microsoft Malaysia.
Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) has launched the second phase of Program Akar, aimed at developing AI and data science talent for Malaysia's financial services industry.
100 students will join the new cohort this year, beginning with 25 from Multimedia University (MMU) and expanding to 75 from other local universities by year-end.
The enhanced curriculum focuses on three key areas: Values-Driven Enrichment
Digital Payment Knowledge
AI & Data Science Mastery
The programme, powered by Microsoft under its AIForMYFuture initiative, is delivered in partnership with PEOPLElogy Berhad and Futuresparx Sdn Bhd. Students will receive mentorship, hands-on learning, and job placement opportunities within leading financial institutions.
Farhan Ahmad, Group CEO of PayNet, said, 'Program Akar is about more than preparing students for jobs. It's about preparing them to lead Malaysia's digital economy with purpose.'
Laurence Si, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia, added, 'By collaborating with PayNet through Program Akar, we're helping build a generation of talent equipped with the digital and AI skills to thrive, in line with Microsoft's AIForMYFuture initiative.'
Program Akar was first introduced in July 2024 in collaboration with AWS, with a focus on cloud and digital payments. Related
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