TEMPO.CO, Batam - The Bank Indonesia Representative Office for the Riau Islands Province (KPw BI Kepri) reported that cross-border use of the Indonesian Standard Quick Response Code (QRIS) by foreign tourists from Malaysia has exceeded 5,000 transactions.
"Malaysia still dominates inbound transactions with more than 5,000 transactions, far surpassing Singapore, which is much closer. This is a challenge for us to continue educating Singaporean tourists that QRIS is more efficient than exchanging cash," said Rony Widijarto, Head of the KPw BI Kepri, in Batam on Tuesday.
He said that by mid-2025, there were 5,920 inbound QRIS transactions from Malaysian tourists in the Riau Islands.
This figure, according to Rony, surpasses the 1,252 inbound QRIS transactions recorded by foreign tourists from Singapore during the same period.
He said the growth in inbound Malaysian tourists demonstrates that cross-border QRIS acceptance in the Riau Islands aligns with national trends and is gaining increasing trust among international tourists, particularly from neighboring countries.
"QRIS is no longer just a domestic issue. With cross-border QRIS, Malaysian and Singaporean tourists can make transactions directly in Batam or the Riau Islands without the hassle of exchanging currency or incurring additional fees," he said.
Rony explained that cross-border QRIS transactions allow tourists to pay directly in their respective currencies. Meanwhile, merchants continue to accept payments in rupiah.
BI Riau Islands continues to encourage the use of cross-border QRIS in the trade and tourism sectors, hoping to increase cross-border transactions.
"Local merchants don't need to worry, because payments are automatically converted directly to rupiah. This makes the process more practical and secure, for both merchants and tourists," Rony said.
Based on records from the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in the Riau Islands Province, the volume of cross-border QRIS usage in Thailand from August 2023 to April 2025 reached 852 transactions with a value of Rp45.45 million, while in Malaysia reached 54,250 with a value of Rp15.29 billion in the same period, and in Singapore reached 10,759 with a value of Rp3.69 billion in the same period.
Editor's Choice: List of Countries That Can Use QRIS, Japan and China Starting August 17, 2025
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