Indonesia’s QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) is set to expand to China and South Korea by early 2026, enabling Indonesians to make seamless digital payments abroad without exchanging currency or downloading additional apps, Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Filianingsih Hendarta announced, noting that trials with South Korea have begun and China testing started during the August 2025 Independence Day celebrations.
Use of cross-border QRIS has surged sharply, with Bank Indonesia recording 24,121 inbound transactions worth IDR 7.1 billion between January and April 2025—a 225% year-on-year increase—while combined cross-border transactions across Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand reached IDR 1.66 trillion by June 2025.
Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo said the expansion aligns with the Astacita program, which aims to reduce reliance on the US dollar by strengthening local currency settlements, with QRIS already active in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and ongoing pilot programs in the Philippines, Viet Nam, Laos, and Brunei Darussalam.
Domestically, QRIS adoption has exceeded expectations with 58.02 million users as of September 2025—surpassing the annual target—and includes 41 million MSMEs, contributing to a total transaction value of IDR 1.9 quadrillion in the first three quarters of 2025, positioning Indonesia as one of Asia’s largest digital payment markets.
Bank Indonesia is also pursuing partnerships with India and Saudi Arabia, though Hendarta noted that talks with Saudi Arabia remain complex due to efforts to integrate Indonesian e-money into the Nusuk platform for umrah and hajj payments, requiring careful regulatory coordination before cross-border compatibility can be fully implemented.
