Paywatch is expanding its earned wage access service with a feature that lets employees use accrued wages for selected medical and wellness services.
The company has partnered with IMU Healthcare to launch MediPay in September 2026 for employees whose companies offer Paywatch.
Users can choose from seven healthcare packages in the Paywatch app and pay using wages earned before payday.
The initial services include health screenings and therapeutic treatments.
In the second phase, Paywatch and IMU Healthcare plan to add discounted dental care, chiropractic treatment and other therapeutic services that standard employee insurance may not cover.
“When 80% of working Malaysians are living strictly paycheck to paycheck, an unexpected medical expense can tip an employee into serious financial distress. By partnering with IMU Healthcare, we are dismantling the month-end barrier to healthcare access.
When an individual can seek proactive medical care using money they have already earned, we remove the need for high-cost loans, reduce chronic stress, and directly restore focus and productivity to the Malaysian workforce,”
said Richard Kim, Co-founder and CEO of Paywatch.
The companies cited estimates that workplace stress and health-related presenteeism could cost the Malaysian economy RM34 billion annually by 2030.
They also pointed to data showing that 70.2% of formal-sector workers earn RM5,000 or less a month.
Paywatch plans to extend MediPay to other Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Featured image: [From left] Professor Dr. Nazimah Idris, Medical Director & Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology at IMU Healthcare; Professor Gerard George, Group Managing Director of IMU Healthcare; Richard Kim, Co-founder & CEO of Paywatch; and Billy Lim, Country Manager for Malaysia of Paywatch
