Indonesia discusses cross-border QR payments with India and Hong Kong
Timor-Leste joined the QRIS network on 25 September 2026, becoming its seventh country. A payment connection with Saudi Arabia is also being sought.
Bank Indonesia is working towards QRIS payment links with India and Hong Kong, with discussions still under way. Governor Destry Damayanti said she had met India's central bank to discuss cooperation, while a separate agreement with Hong Kong sets out plans to explore cross-border QR-code payments.
Destry said the India meeting took place a month before the signing of the Timor-Leste cooperation agreement. She pointed to tourists travelling between Indonesia and India as a reason to pursue a link, saying the aim was to make payments more convenient for people in both countries.
The memorandum between Bank Indonesia and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was signed on 24 September 2026 by Destry and the authority's chief executive, Eddie Yue. Bank Indonesia said the two sides would discuss technical, operational and regulatory issues and examine ways to connect their QR-code payment systems.
Timor-Leste entered the QRIS cross-border network at the Festival Ekonomi Keuangan Digital on 25 September 2026. The network supports inbound and outbound transactions across seven countries: China, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Timor-Leste.
Bank Indonesia also wants to establish a similar arrangement with Saudi Arabia. Deputy Governor Filianingsih Hendarta said such a connection would let Indonesians making umrah or hajj pilgrimages pay directly from their phones, without having to exchange money beforehand.
