QRIS doubles in 2026: payment UX lessons for Indonesia

The QRIS 2026 numbers confirm it has become the default way Indonesians pay in person and, increasingly, online. Bank Indonesia reported that QRIS transactions grew 100.12% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, and that QRIS volume reached 12.55 billion transactions in the first half, with more than 66 million users and about 45 million merchants ^{[1, 4]}. If you design checkout, a merchant app or a loyalty product in Indonesia, QRIS is no longer one payment option among many. It is the one most of your users already know.

Here are the latest numbers from Bank Indonesia, the cross-border plans, and what they mean for product and UX decisions.

QRIS 2026 in numbers

• Digital payment volume reached 16.07 billion transactions in Q2 2026, up 36.88% year on year, with QRIS growing 100.12% ^[1].
• In August 2026, digital payment volume reached 6.11 billion transactions, up 40.36% year on year, and QRIS grew 67.22% ^[2].
• QRIS processed 12.55 billion transactions worth about Rp600.7 trillion in the first half of 2026, roughly double the same period a year earlier ^[4].
• QRIS users passed 66 million, with close to 45 million merchants ^[4].

Bank Indonesia credits the growth to more users and more merchants accepting QRIS ^{[1, 2]}. Both curves matter for design. More users means the QR flow is familiar to almost every customer. More merchants means even small sellers now expect to be paid through it, including in the apps they use to run their business.

Cross-border QRIS keeps expanding

QRIS also works across borders. In May, Kontan reported that six countries were connected, with a target of eight, and that Bank Indonesia planned to extend cooperation to India, Hong Kong and Timor-Leste ^[5].

On September 24, 2026, Bank Indonesia Governor Destry Damayanti and Hong Kong Monetary Authority Chief Executive Eddie Yue signed a memorandum of understanding on QR code-based cross-border payments ^[3]. The two central banks aim for payments that are “faster, more affordable, transparent, and inclusive,” and will explore arrangements to make their QR systems interoperable ^[3].

In its July policy statement, Bank Indonesia also listed expanding QRIS cross-border links with priority partner countries as part of its payment system agenda ^[1]. For tourism, hospitality and retail brands, that means a growing share of foreign visitors will pay the same way locals do.

What QRIS growth means for checkout design

When one payment method becomes this common, the design question changes from “should we offer it?” to “how fast and clear is it?” A few patterns we now treat as standard on Indonesian projects:

• Show QRIS early in the payment step, not hidden under a generic “e-wallet” group. Users look for the QRIS mark they recognise.
• On mobile, a QR code shown on the same phone is a dead end. Offer a clear way to save the code or open a payment app, and explain it in one line.
• Make the payment status visible. A timer, a live “waiting for payment” state and an automatic success screen remove the urge to screenshot and send proof by chat.
• Design the failure path. Expired codes, double payments and refunds need plain-language screens, not error codes.
• For merchant apps, the daily settlement view matters as much as the payment screen. Small sellers want to see today’s QRIS income at a glance.

There is also a content side to this. Many users first meet a brand’s payment flow through a screenshot in a WhatsApp group or a marketplace chat, not through the app itself. A payment screen that clearly shows the brand, the amount and the status is easier to trust when it is shared, and easier for support staff to read when a customer sends it in with a question.

Trust is now part of the payment experience

Growth brings scams. At a Bank Indonesia seminar in September, reported by Kontan, Deputy Governor Filianingsih Hendarta said that technology alone cannot create trust, and that “Governance is what creates it” ^[4]. The same report notes Bank Indonesia’s work with the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre on detection, reporting and recovery for victims of digital crime ^[4].

For designers, trust shows up in small details: the merchant name on the payment screen matching the brand the user expects, a clear amount before confirmation, and receipts that are easy to find later. These cost little to get right and make fraud easier for users to spot.

Key takeaways

• QRIS grew 100.12% year on year in Q2 2026 and 67.22% in August ^{[1, 2]}.
• QRIS handled 12.55 billion transactions in the first half of 2026, with over 66 million users and about 45 million merchants ^[4].
• Bank Indonesia and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority signed a QR payments MoU on September 24, 2026 ^[3].
• Checkout design in Indonesia should put QRIS first and make payment status obvious.
• Clear merchant names, amounts and receipts are part of fraud prevention.

Quick answers about QRIS in 2026

Is QRIS only for offline payments? No. It is common in online checkout too, which is why the same-phone QR problem deserves a designed solution.

Can tourists pay with QRIS? In connected countries, yes, through cross-border links that Bank Indonesia keeps expanding ^{[1, 5]}.

Do small merchants need a custom app? Usually not. A clear, fast settlement and history view in an existing tool helps them more than a new app.