SINGAPORE – 10 OCT 2024
1. The Government will continue the subsidy under the Hawkers Go Digital (HGD) programme (60.72KB) for another year until end-2025. Following feedback from hawkers, this extension aims to encourage F&B stallholders to continue adopting e-payments and ease into a non-subsidised payment structure, especially against the backdrop of rising operating costs in the current environment.
2. Under the HGD programme, the Government subsidises the 0.5% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)1 incurred by stallholders up to the first $20,000 of e-payment transactions per stall per month.
3. Good progress has been made under the HGD programme. To date, over 11,500 stallholders are offering e-payments through NETS, which is the master acquirer. In August 2024, monthly transaction value and volume reached $60 million and 7.6 million respectively, compared to $45 million and 5.4 million in August 2023. This represented a 30% to 40% increase in both monthly transaction value and volume across the span of a year.
4. The HGD programme is a multi-agency effort by Enterprise Singapore and the SG Digital Office (SDO) under Infocomm Media Development Authority, supported by the Housing & Development Board (HDB), JTC Corporation (JTC), and National Environment Agency (NEA). The programme encourages e-payment adoption among stallholders at hawker centres (cooked food and market stalls), coffee shops, and industrial canteens operating in Government-owned (HDB, JTC, and NEA) premises.
5. Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry & Culture, Community and Youth, said, “Hawkers are an essential part of Singapore’s food culture. By extending the subsidy under the Hawkers Go Digital programme for another year, we aim to help more stallholders embrace e-payment and enhance convenience for both hawkers and customers. This is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure our hawkers continue to thrive in the digital age.”
6. Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information & National Development, said, “The significant increase in transaction amount and volume shows that Singaporeans find e-payments useful and have made it an integral part of their daily lives. It is also heartening to see many hawkers adopting e-payment in their operations. I encourage hawkers who have not come onboard to make full use of this extension.”
7. The Government will continue to work with stallholders to encourage e-payment adoption, including SDO’s efforts in educating them on the benefits of e-payment and supporting them in digital upskilling.
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