April 21, 2025 | 06:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers 2025 on Monday, March 31, 2025. In the report, the USTR highlighted several trade barriers in Indonesia that the United States deems problematic—one of which concerns the digital payment service Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS).
The USTR stated that American banks and payment service providers were not involved by Bank Indonesia (BI) when it formulated policies related to QRIS. “International stakeholders were not informed of potential changes resulting from this policy and were not given the opportunity to provide input on the payment system,” the USTR noted in its report.
Origins
According to BI’s official website, QRIS is the national standard for quick response (QR) codes, launched to coincide with Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day on Saturday, August 17, 2019. The goal was to facilitate faster, simpler, and more secure domestic payment transactions.
The implementation of QRIS in Indonesia is governed by Bank Indonesia Board of Governors Member Regulation No. 21/18/PADG/2019 on the Implementation of the National Standard for Quick Response Codes for Payments.
All QR codes from existing electronic payment providers migrated gradually to QRIS, with the transition completed by Tuesday, December 31, 2019. Starting Wednesday, January 1, 2020, all merchants were required to use QR codes bearing the QRIS logo.
The central bank collaborated with the Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI) to develop QRIS in line with standards set by Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMVCo). EMVCo is the international body that manages and sets regulations for QR code usage.
In its initial phase, QRIS focused on implementing merchant-presented mode (MPM) QR payments, in which sellers display a QR code for buyers to scan when making payments. Prior to the launch, QRIS underwent two pilot phases—from September to November 2018, and from April to May 2018.
The UNGGUL Motto
QRIS promotes the UNGGUL spirit—UNiversal, GampanG, Untung, and Langsung—which emphasizes its contribution to digital payment innovation. It is expected to boost efficiency, support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), accelerate financial inclusion, and drive economic growth by developing Indonesia’s human capital.
Each component of the UNGGUL motto has specific meaning:
UNiversal: Inclusive for all segments of society and usable for payment transactions both domestically and internationally.
GampanG (Easy): Offers convenience without compromising security, all in the palm of your hand via smartphone.
Untung (Profitable): Direct benefits for sellers and buyers through practical transaction experiences.
Langsung (Instant): Enables quick and seamless payments.
Supporting Cross-Border Payments in Asia
Initially, BI partnered with four central banks to implement QRIS across several Southeast Asian countries. These included Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and the Bank of Thailand (BOT).
On Friday, November 17, 2023, QRIS became available for use in Singapore, following Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In April 2024, Laos and Brunei Darussalam also agreed to adopt the Indonesian QR code standard.
Additionally, BI has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) to allow QRIS usage in Japan. The agreement links QRIS with the Japan Unified QR Code (JPQR) system.
Contributors: Anastasya Lavenia Y, Ilona Estherina, Nia Heppy Lestari, Ananda Ridho Sulistya, and Annisa Febiola.
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