KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Reuters) - Malaysia on Friday awarded digital bank licences to five groups of companies, including some linked to e-commerce and gaming firm Sea Ltd , telecoms operator Axiata and ride-hailing firm Grab.

The central bank said in a statement it had received 29 applications for the licenses, as companies looked to capitalise on Malaysia's growing fintech sector.

Nearly all adults among the country's 32 million population are smartphone users, government statistics showed last year.

Winning applicants for the licenses included Boost Holdings, the fintech arm of Axiata, which teamed up with Malaysian banking group RHB Bank Berhad for the bid, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said.

Others included a partnership between Sea Ltd and YTL Digital Capital Sdn Bhd, and a group led by GXS Bank, an alliance between Grab Holdings Ltd and Singapore Telecommunications, and Kuok Brothers, part of Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok's Kuok Group.

Grab and Singtel said in a statement GXS will hold a 55.45% stake in the proposed Malaysia digital bank, subject to regulatory approvals.

Two consortia - led by Aeon Financial Service Co. Ltd and KAF Investment Bank - will be licensed under Malaysia's Islamic Financial Services Act, BNM said.

It said the winners must undergo a period of operational readiness that will be audited by the central bank before they can commence operations - a process expected to take between 12-24 months. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty)