# QRIS Cross-Border

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/qris-cross-border
> research date 2026-06-03 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [QRIS — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRIS)
- [Launch of Cross-border QR Payments Linkage between Indonesia and Singapore — MAS](https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2023/launch-of-cross-border-qr-payments-linkage-between-indonesia-and-singapore)

## Overview

**QRIS Cross-Border** is Bank Indonesia's programme to extend its domestic *Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard* (QRIS) beyond Indonesia, enabling **two-way QR payments**: Indonesians scanning partner-country merchant QR codes abroad ("outbound"), and visitors from partner countries paying at QRIS merchants in Indonesia ("inbound"). Settlement runs on a **local-currency transaction (LCT)** framework so that users see prices in their home currency while merchants are paid in theirs, cutting conversion cost and reducing reliance on the US dollar <sup>[2][2]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>. The programme is a deliverable of the ASEAN **Regional Payment Connectivity** commitment and Indonesia's Payment System Blueprint 2025 <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## History

QRIS was launched domestically on **17 August 2019** by Bank Indonesia and the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI) as a single national QR standard unifying non-cash methods for P2P and person-to-merchant payments <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Cross-border expansion then proceeded country by country:

| Partner | Counterpart scheme | Pilot | Full launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Thai QR / PromptPay | 17 Aug 2021 | 29 Aug 2022 |
| Malaysia | DuitNow | 27 Jan 2022 | 8 May 2023 |
| Singapore | NETS QR / SGQR+ | — | 17 Nov 2023 |
| Japan | JPQR Global | — | 17 Aug 2025 |
| China | (PBoC interconnection) | 17 Aug 2025 (trials) | 30 Apr 2026 |
| South Korea | Seoul Pay / Jeju Pay | — | 1 Apr 2026 |

<sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup> <sup>[7][7]</sup>

Japan was the first **non-ASEAN** country to adopt QRIS cross-border, launched on 17 August 2025 to coincide with Indonesia's independence-day celebrations <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Technical specification

- **Merchant QR acceptance abroad (outbound).** Indonesian travellers scan a partner-country merchant's QR code through their domestic Indonesian bank or e-wallet app, without currency exchange or international card fees <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- **Foreign QR acceptance inbound.** Visitors from partner countries pay at Indonesian QRIS merchants using their home apps <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **Local-currency settlement (LCT).** The LCT framework settles cross-border QR payments in the participating countries' respective local currencies, using direct currency quotation to lower cost and FX-risk exposure <sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **Common QR alignment.** Linkages connect each side's national QR scheme (e.g. PromptPay, DuitNow, NETS QR) so a single mobile-phone scan resolves the cross-border payment <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Use cases

- Tourists and business travellers paying merchants abroad with their home wallet, no cash exchange <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- Inbound tourism spend by partner-country visitors at Indonesia's tens of millions of QRIS merchants <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- A planned pilot integrating Saudi Arabia's Nusuk card for Hajj/Umrah pilgrims (2026) <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Implementations

- QRIS domestically reached roughly **50.5 million users** and **32.71 million onboarded merchants**, with transaction volume surging 226.54% year-over-year in 2024 <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- Cross-border access is delivered through Indonesian banks' and e-wallets' existing QRIS apps; on the partner side, the counterpart national QR networks (PromptPay, DuitNow, NETS QR, JPQR, etc.) carry the transactions <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>.
- **QRIS Tap** (NFC-based contactless) launched March 2025, extending the standard beyond camera-scanned codes <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Comparison

QRIS Cross-Border and the broader **ASEAN Regional Payment Connectivity (RPC)** are complementary rather than competing. RPC is the multilateral umbrella under which ASEAN central banks agreed to interlink national QR and fast-payment systems; connected QR schemes include Cambodia's KHQR, Indonesia's QRIS, Lao QR, Malaysia's DuitNow, the Philippines' QR Ph, Singapore's PayNow, Thailand's PromptPay and Vietnam's VietQR <sup>[6][6]</sup>. QRIS Cross-Border is Indonesia's *bilateral implementation* of that vision, executed as a series of country-to-country links and notably the first to reach **non-ASEAN partners** (Japan, China, South Korea) <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Compared with the account-to-account **PromptPay–PayNow** model (mobile-number P2P transfers), QRIS Cross-Border is centred on **merchant QR acceptance** and a local-currency settlement design aimed at de-dollarisation <sup>[2][2]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Fun facts

- Japan became the **first non-ASEAN country** to accept QRIS cross-border, launched 17 August 2025 on Indonesia's independence day <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- The programme is explicitly framed as a tool to **reduce dependence on the US dollar** in regional settlements via local-currency transactions <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Status

Live and expanding. As of 2026 the outbound/inbound network spans Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and China, with South Korea joining (full launch 1 April 2026) and the China link officially launching 30 April 2026 <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[7][7]</sup>. Indonesia continues to pursue further non-ASEAN partners under the LCT framework <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Sources

[1] [QRIS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRIS) — Wikipedia
[2] [Launch of Cross-border QR Payments Linkage between Indonesia and Singapore](https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2023/launch-of-cross-border-qr-payments-linkage-between-indonesia-and-singapore) — Monetary Authority of Singapore, 2023
[3] [Indonesia — Banking QR/Barcode Standards Report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ID) — Barcoder corpus, 2025
[4] [Bank Indonesia launches QRIS cross-border payment system with China](https://en.antaranews.com/amp/news/414208/bank-indonesia-launches-qris-cross-border-payment-system-with-china) — ANTARA News, 2026
[5] [Indonesians can use QRIS in Japan and China starting August 17, 2025](https://en.antaranews.com/news/356097/indonesians-can-use-qris-in-japan-and-china-starting-august-17-2025) — ANTARA News, 2025
[6] [Indonesia, China Launch Cross-Border QRIS Payment / ASEAN RPC local currency settlement](https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/indonesia-china-launch-cross-border-qris-payment-to-boost-regional-financial-cooperation) — Yicai Global, 2026
[7] [BI Expands QRIS Links to Seven Countries to Reduce Dollar Reliance](https://jakartaglobe.id/business/bi-expands-qris-links-to-seven-countries-to-reduce-dollar-reliance) — Jakarta Globe, 2026

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QRIS
[2]: https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2023/launch-of-cross-border-qr-payments-linkage-between-indonesia-and-singapore
[3]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ID
[4]: https://en.antaranews.com/amp/news/414208/bank-indonesia-launches-qris-cross-border-payment-system-with-china
[5]: https://en.antaranews.com/news/356097/indonesians-can-use-qris-in-japan-and-china-starting-august-17-2025
[6]: https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/indonesia-china-launch-cross-border-qris-payment-to-boost-regional-financial-cooperation
[7]: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/bi-expands-qris-links-to-seven-countries-to-reduce-dollar-reliance

## Deployments

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

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

## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country

- Indonesia (outbound)