KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): Government cash assistance programme payment for eligible Malaysians will start from Jan 9, with the one-off RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) for all Malaysians to be credited on Feb 9, 2026. Monthly Sara payments are an extra payment for recipients of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), a government aid programme for low- and middle-income groups to help them manage the rising cost of living. Eligibility for Sara is automatic, based on approved STR data for the poor and hardcore poor groups (eKasih). The target for small shops participating in the Sara programme will be increased to 10,000 by the end of 2026, compared with over 3,000 at the end of 2025, complementing existing supermarket branches. Last year, 96% of recipients used the one-off Sara payment, totalling nearly RM2.1 billion.

Source: The Edge Markets January 05, 2026 06:09 UTC