The Indonesian Central Bank (BI) announced the expansion of the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), a payment platform beyond the ASEAN region, to Japan, coinciding with the 80th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia’s Independence Day on August 17, 2025.
BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said this service expansion represents a significant milestone in cross-border payment system innovation.
“Since its launch six years ago, QRIS has been a game changer for digital payment ecosystem and strengthened Indonesia’s economic sovereignty, with users now reaching 57 million,” he said, as quoted from the BI website on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
Perry hopes that QRIS’s presence in Japan will provide convenience and transaction efficiency for Indonesian tourists, while strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
Initially, this service is available at 35 merchants in Japan bearing the JPQR Global logo. Users simply scan the JPQR Global code through domestic payment applications, either mobile banking or digital wallets.
The number of merchants in Japan will continue to grow. This scheme will also work in reverse, allowing Japanese tourists to make transactions in Indonesia using their country’s app.
Japan’s QRIS was launched on August 17, 2025, which marks exactly six years since its domestic debut on August 17, 2019. It highlights the complex technical and regulatory groundwork needed for international interoperability.
QRIS will also be usable in China. BI and the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) are currently in the interconnection trial phase between the two countries.
Payment connectivity with China will facilitate trade between the two countries, particularly for MSMEs, and boost the growth of the tourism sectors in both countries. The trial will involve the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI), UnionPay International (UPI), and representatives of payment system service providers.
As of June 2025, the implementation of QRIS between countries has shown significant results. The QRIS collaboration with Singapore, launched on November 17, 2023, has recorded 238,216 transactions with a nominal value of Rp77.06 billion (US$4.7 million).
Furthermore, QRIS with Thailand has recorded 994,890 transactions with a nominal value of Rp437.54 billion since its launch in August 2022. The largest QRIS transaction volume is the Indonesia-Malaysia QRIS, reaching 4.31 million transactions with a nominal value of Rp1.15 trillion since its launch in May 2023.
AloJapan.com