think24 Journal

The origin of QRIS

Before QRIS, Indonesia's payment scene was an archipelago of its own — not of islands, but of disconnected QR systems. Each digital wallet or bank app had its own proprietary code. Merchants had to display multiple printed QR placards, each tied to a different provider. Consumers often found themselves in an awkward loop: “Sorry, we only accept this one.”

In 2019, Bank Indonesia and the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI) introduced QRIS to fix this. The goal: one national standard that every payment app could read and every merchant could use. It was a simple premise, but the implications were huge — interoperability, inclusivity, and a smoother digital economy.

“One QR for all” became more than a slogan. It became the backbone of Indonesia's cashless transformation.

How QRIS works under the hood

At its core, QRIS isn't a new app or a payment company. It's a technical specification — a standardized QR code format based on EMVCo standards, ensuring that QR codes generated by any participating institution can be universally scanned by others.

When you scan a QRIS code, your payment app recognizes it as a standardized format, identifies the merchant's acquiring institution, and routes the payment through Bank Indonesia's clearing system. That backend choreography happens in seconds. The result feels deceptively simple: scan, approve, done.

// Simplified QRIS flow
  user_scans_qris_code();
  payment_app -> acquirer -> BI clearing -> issuer -> merchant_confirmed();
        

Impact and adoption

QRIS adoption exploded during and after the pandemic. By early 2025, there were over 30 million registered merchants using QRIS — from large supermarkets to the smallest street vendors. This democratization is perhaps its greatest achievement. Even a seller with nothing more than a smartphone and laminated printout can now accept digital payments instantly.

Bank Indonesia's gradual integration with cross-border systems like Thailand's PromptPay and Malaysia's DuitNow also makes QRIS one of Southeast Asia's more forward-looking payment standards. It reflects an ecosystem where national pride meets regional cooperation.

Why QRIS succeeded where others struggled

QRIS succeeded because it treated interoperability as infrastructure — not competition. Instead of forcing one provider to dominate, it gave everyone the same stage. Banks, e-wallets, and fintechs could innovate at the edges, but the transaction core remained unified and standardized. This is the same systems logic that made the internet work: a shared protocol, not a shared company.

It also helped that the user experience was elegant: one QR, one tap, done. Behavioral friction is the real tax in digital finance, and QRIS quietly removed it.

My experience: QRIS vs KHQR

I travel between Indonesia and Cambodia fairly often, and I've had the chance to experience both QRIS and KHQR — Cambodia's national QR system introduced by the National Bank of Cambodia.

KHQR feels very familiar: it's also based on EMVCo standards, designed for interoperability across banks and wallets. The big difference is maturity and ubiquity. In Indonesia, QRIS is everywhere — from Bali's cafés to tiny warungs in rural Java. You can almost forget cash exists. In Cambodia, KHQR adoption is growing, but still more concentrated in urban areas and banks with mobile-first infrastructure.

There's also a difference in cross-border usability. QRIS is now recognized across ASEAN corridors — you can pay in Malaysia or Thailand using your Indonesian e-wallet, automatically converting the currency. KHQR, though conceptually similar, hasn't yet reached that scale of cross-border collaboration. That's changing, but Indonesia's early push gave QRIS a regional head start.

QRIS feels like infrastructure that has quietly become cultural — part of daily life. KHQR feels like infrastructure still in its formative stage, promising but finding its rhythm.

The next chapter: QRIS 2.0 and beyond

Bank Indonesia is already experimenting with QRIS 2.0 — with features like recurring payments, debit integration, and cross-border remittance capabilities. As these expand, QRIS could evolve from being just a payment tool into a unified interface for financial inclusion — micro-loans, donations, even taxes.

QRIS is more than a technical standard. It's a case study in how well-designed national infrastructure can empower millions without forcing them into a single platform. It's the art of standardization without centralization — a pattern the rest of the region is starting to notice.