# LumiPAY QR

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lumipay-qr
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [LumiTel — Burundi](https://lumitel.bi/)

## Overview

**LumiPAY QR** is **Burundi's Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)-operated mobile-financial-services platform with QR-payment functionality** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Burundi report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BI)</sup>. LumiPAY enables customers to **deposit, withdraw, transfer money, recharge, buy data plans + more in a fast, safe + convenient way through the code *163# on their cell phone** + via the **LumiPAY mobile app**. The app features **QR payment with merchants + ability to transfer money to any LumiPAY customer in Burundi + withdraw money at LumiPAY agents**.

The structural significance: LumiPAY is **Viettel Burundi's mobile-money platform** — Viettel being **Vietnam's largest telecommunications group** with **substantial African mobile-money operations** (Lumitel Burundi, Halotel Tanzania, Movitel Mozambique). **Viettel's Vietnamese-engineering + Africa-MNO-deployment model** brings **modern fintech technology to African markets**. LumiPAY's ***163# USSD + smartphone app dual access** + **QR-payment merchant features** + **56K+ trusted users** + **multi-feature deposit/withdraw/transfer/recharge/data** make it Burundi's comprehensive mobile-financial-services platform. **Burundi's payment landscape** (Banque de la République du Burundi / BRB regulator) is **MNO + bank hybrid** — LumiPAY competes with **Econet Lumicash** (Econet Wireless mobile money) + Burundian bank wallets.

## History

**Background — Burundian payment landscape** <sup>[Burundi report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BI)</sup>:
- **Banque de la République du Burundi (BRB)** — central bank.
- **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)** — Vietnamese-owned major Burundian MNO.
- **Econet Wireless Burundi** — competing MNO with Lumicash.
- Burundian banks: BANCOBU, BCB (Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura), Interbank Burundi.

**Viettel Burundi (LumiTel) establishment** <sup>[Burundi report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BI)</sup>:
- Vietnamese-owned major BI MNO.

**LumiPAY launch by Viettel Burundi** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Mobile financial services platform.
- *163# USSD access.

**LumiPAY app launch** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Smartphone app extension.

**QR-payment feature** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Merchant payments via QR.

**56K+ trusted users** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Substantial scale for Burundi.

**Companion Lumicash Channel app** [[lumicash]]:
- Related Viettel Burundi mobile-money channel app.

## Technical specification

LumiPAY QR is **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)-operated Burundian mobile-financial-services platform with QR** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)** |
| **Country** | Burundi |
| **Currency** | BIF (Burundian franc) |
| **Channels** | **USSD *163# + LumiPAY mobile app** |
| **Users** | 56K+ |
| **Features** | Deposit, withdraw, transfer, recharge, buy data plans, QR merchant payments |
| **Companion app** | Lumicash Channel |
| **Major competitor** | **Econet Wireless Lumicash** |

## Use cases

**P2P transfers between LumiPAY customers** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal.

**Merchant QR-payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Scan-to-pay.

**Deposit + withdraw at LumiPAY agents** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cash-in/cash-out.

**Mobile credit recharge** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Lumitel airtime.

**Data plan purchases** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Lumitel data services.

**Bank-account access** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Through partner banks.

**Other digital payments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Bills + services.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)**.

**Parent**: **Viettel Group** (Vietnam).

**Regulator**: **Banque de la République du Burundi (BRB)**.

**Major BI competitor**: **Econet Wireless Lumicash**.

## Fun facts

- **Viettel Group Vietnamese-owned operator**: Cross-continent ownership.
- **56K+ trusted users**: Substantial for Burundi (~13M population).
- **USSD *163# + app dual access**: Multi-channel.
- **QR merchant payments**: Modern feature.
- **Multi-feature platform**: Deposit, withdraw, transfer, recharge, data, QR.
- **Viettel's broader Africa portfolio**: Halotel TZ, Movitel MZ.
- **Vietnamese-engineering + African-MNO-deployment model**: Distinctive cross-continent fintech.
- **Lumicash Channel companion app**: Related Viettel BI offering.

## Comparison

| Feature | LumiPAY (BI Viettel) | Lumicash (BI Econet) | [Orange Money QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/orange-money-qr) (multi-Africa) | [TNM Mpamba](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tnm-mpamba) (MW) | [D-Money QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/d-money-qr) (DJ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel)** | Econet Wireless Burundi | Orange Group | TNM Malawi | Djibouti Telecom |
| Type | **MNO mobile money + QR** | MNO mobile money | MNO mobile money | MNO mobile money | State-telco mobile money |
| Country | Burundi | Burundi | 16+ African + MENA | Malawi | Djibouti |
| USSD | **\*163#** | \*166# | Country-specific | n/a | Country-specific |
| Users | **56K+** | Major | 40M (group) | n/a | n/a |

## Status

**Active** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Viettel Burundi (LumiTel) operator**.
- **USSD \*163# + LumiPAY app**.
- **56K+ users**.
- **Multi-feature platform with QR merchant payments**.

## Sources

[1]: https://lumitel.bi/package-mobile/1665040199977 "LumiPAY — LumiTel"
[2]: https://spark.mwm.ai/us/apps/lumipay/1625524783 "LumiPAY — Spark MWM"
[3]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bi.lumitel.bepay "LumiPAY — Google Play"
[lumicash]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bi.lumitel.lumicashchannel "Lumicash Channel — Google Play"

- [1] [LumiPAY — LumiTel][1]
- [2] [LumiPAY — Spark MWM][2]
- [3] [LumiPAY — Google Play][3]
- [lumicash] [Lumicash Channel — Google Play][lumicash]
- <sup>[Burundi report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BI)</sup> `reports/countries/BI-burundi.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **BI** — [BI-burundi.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BI)