[REVISION HISTORY]

Indonesia QRIS adoption and cross-border growth

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2026-10-12 07:58 UTC → 2026-10-23 15:56 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Bank Indonesia continues to report rapid growth in the QRIS cashless system. By mid-2026, the ecosystem served approximately 65.77 million users and 44.86 million merchants, with transaction values reaching Rp1.12 quadrillion in the first half of the year—a 93.92% year-on-year increase. Of the participating merchants, approximately 96.68% are MSMEs. To drive adoption, Bank Indonesia announced an expansion of the 0 percent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) effective 1 October 2026, applying to all categories for transactions up to 100,000 IDR, and to micro-enterprises (UMI) for transactions up to 500,000 IDR. Supporting merchants, Paylabs introduced ‘Soundbox on App’ to provide real-time voice notifications for transaction verification without extra hardware. Parallel to the QRIS expansion, Bank Indonesia is developing a Digital Rupiah and has entered the experimental stage for cross-border transactions. The central bank has also obtained a fatwa from the National Sharia Council regarding the permissibility of digital currency and stablecoins. Cross-border connectivity has expanded to include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, ~~China,~~ and ~~Timor-Leste.~~ China. As of October 2026, Bank Indonesia Governor Destry Damayanti has entered discussions with the central bank of India to realize similar cross-border payment capabilities to facilitate transactions for tourists. The bank has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to discuss cooperation. Domestic QRIS usage has since grown to 67 million users and 46.7 million merchants. Governor Damayanti has advised users to remain vigilant by verifying recipient names to prevent errors, noting that technological adoption must be accompanied by heightened consumer awareness and strong security systems. Recent developments show the QRIS cross-border system (QRIS Antarnegara) receiving the ‘50-in-5 Awards 2026’ at the UN General Assembly. Connectivity is expanding to include Timor-Leste and Hong Kong, following a signed agreement between Bank Indonesia and the Central Bank of Timor-Leste to explore payment connectivity.

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