Foreign Nationals Increasingly Prefer Using QRIS, Transactions Reach Rp5.9 Trillion

Foreign nationals travelling in Indonesia are increasingly opting to use the QR Indonesia Standard (QRIS), a trend mirrored by Indonesian citizens travelling to countries that have already integrated QRIS services, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan, and South Korea.

“QRIS is not just successful domestically; it has become cross-border. It is now international,” stated Bank Indonesia (BI) Deputy Governor Filianingsih Hendarta at the Lampung Financial Festival on Saturday (5/9/2026).

As of July 2026, the value of QRIS transactions used by foreigners in Indonesia, or inbound transactions, reached Rp5.9 trillion (equivalent to US$326.3 million), with a transaction volume of 19.76 million.

Meanwhile, outbound transactions—those conducted by Indonesian citizens in countries that have partnered with Indonesia for cross-border QRIS services—amounted to Rp1.73 trillion (US$95.6 million), with a volume of 4.32 million transactions.

“We have already established connections with six countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and China. This means that when you travel to these six countries, there is no need to visit a money changer or exchange physical currency,” Filianingsih emphasised.

Given the growing scale of QRIS usage, Filianingsih Hendarta noted that the Indonesian government will continue to expand cooperation for QRIS service provision with other nations.

Services currently in the advanced stages of development include partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, and India.

“There are intense discussions ongoing with Hong Kong, Timor-Leste, and India, and we hope to include Saudi Arabia very soon. Therefore, when going for Umrah or Hajj, there will be no need to exchange money; you simply need to bring your mobile phone and ensure it has sufficient balance,” Filianingsih explained.