GXBank adds Firsty mobile data plans to its Malaysian banking app

GXBank, which describes itself as Malaysia’s first digital bank, has added mobile data access to its banking app through a partnership with Firsty, a global connectivity platform. The service gives eligible customers in Malaysia the ability to buy and activate data plans for more than 170 countries inside the GXBank app, extending the bank’s consumer offering beyond deposits, payments and other financial services.

The companies said the arrangement makes GXBank one of the first digital banks in Southeast Asia to use its app as a channel for international mobile connectivity. The product is aimed at travellers who want data access without buying a physical SIM card or using a separate app, according to the announcement.

Customers can purchase and activate a Firsty data plan through GXBank before arriving overseas, the companies said. The feature is available directly within the bank’s app and does not require a physical SIM card, according to the announcement.

The structure places a non-bank travel utility inside a regulated financial app, a model increasingly used by digital banks and fintech groups seeking to broaden daily customer engagement. In this case, GXBank is acting as the customer interface, while Firsty provides the connectivity platform behind the mobile data service.

GXBank chief executive Kaushik Chowdhury said the partnership was intended to make the bank’s services useful to Malaysians outside the country as well as at home. “We built GXBank to make financial and banking needs more accessible and simpler for Malaysians, and that does not stop at the border,” Chowdhury said. He added that the tie-up with Firsty would allow customers to travel and spend internationally while remaining connected.

Firsty co-founder Vince Vissers said the deal reflected a shift in how connectivity is distributed to consumers. “Connectivity is becoming a feature, not an industry, and GXBank gets that,” Vissers said. “What they are building is what modern banking looks like.”

Launch offer

GXBank is offering customers 100% cashback on one Firsty data plan to mark the launch, according to the companies. The offer applies to a single plan and is available inside the GXBank app for eligible customers in Malaysia.

The companies said the cashback offer is live now. They did not disclose the commercial terms of the partnership, the cost of the data plans or how long the launch promotion will remain available.

The move adds travel connectivity to a growing list of services that financial apps are bundling alongside core banking functions. For digital banks, such partnerships can create more reasons for customers to open and use the app, while third-party platforms gain access to an established financial services customer base. GXBank and Firsty presented the launch as part of a broader shift toward banking apps that combine finance with adjacent consumer services.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.