Pertama Digital said 99% of the votes cast at a virtual extraordinary general meeting (EGM) attended by shareholders, their representatives and board members were in favour of the asset sale.

Its independent non-executive chairman, Zaki Azmi, said with the disposal under way, Pertama Digital will also be reclassified as a shariah-compliant digital services business from its previous status as a textile-based company.

“Our digital solutions have been well received, indicating bright prospects. We developed eJamin, the world’s first smartphone court bail payment solution, that is now used in Malaysian courts,” he said in a statement released after the EGM today.

“We also exclusively operate mySMS 15888, an existing messaging service used by government agencies. On top of that, we also own mobile payments app, MyPay,” he added.

Director of strategy Saify Akhtar said that with the disposal of the legacy business, Pertama Digital will now be free to deliver on its promise to transform the way government agencies and enterprises approach digitalisation in this rapidly expanding sector, not just in Malaysia but also in other emerging markets like Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.

Pertama Digital said to date the disposal of BeTop had progressed up to tranche 2, which was completed on July 16, 2021.

“On Sept 21, 2020, the first cash payment of RM12 million was received from GIL, followed by a second cash payment of RM18.515 million on July 16, 2021. Currently, Pertama Digital owns a stake of 52% in BeTop, following the tranche 2 deal,” it added.