QRIS for All: Between the Spirit of Interconnection and Practices that Burden Consumers

While attending the “BI Greets Academics” event in Jakarta in early May, I noted an interesting sentence from the Deputy Director of the Payment System Policy Department of Bank Indonesia, Mr. Irfan Hendrayadi: “The payment system has no cycle, it is like a failed brake.” This sentence implies an important message, namely that the payment system must be designed and maintained to remain healthy, fast, efficient, and support the real sector.

Bank Indonesia is currently promoting the Vision of the Indonesian Payment System 2030, through the BSPI 2030 blueprint, which among other things emphasizes the importance of digitalization and interconnection of the payment system. One of its real faces is QRIS, a digital payment instrument that is now increasingly familiar among business actors and the public.

QRIS or Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard, was born as a solution to the many types of QR codes that were previously exclusive between service providers. QRIS is a unified system. With QRIS, one QR code should be able to be read and used by various applications, from digital wallets to banking applications. The spirit is inclusion, efficiency, and convenience.

However, what happens in the field, especially in cities like Banjarmasin?

There are still many business actors who charge additional fees to buyers if they pay using QRIS. Some add 1-2 percent, some immediately write, “QRIS prices are more expensive.” In fact, the initial spirit of QRIS is efficiency and convenience. QRIS is not only a payment tool, but also a symbol of collaboration and integration of the digital economy.

This action of burdening consumers needs to be criticized

First, from a business logic perspective. The QRIS merchant discount rate (MDR) fee is generally very low, even for MSMEs it is only 0.3 percent, and for social sectors such as education or places of worship it is 0 percent. This means that QRIS transaction fees are actually not the main reason to “shift the burden” to consumers. Moreover, when compared to the costs of managing cash, returning change, or security risks, QRIS is actually more efficient.

Second, from a literacy and business ethics perspective. Many business actors do not yet understand that by charging additional fees for QRIS payments, they are actually hindering the transformation of the national payment system. In fact, payment system efficiency is the key to increasing the velocity of money. If money can circulate faster in the real sector, then the impact on economic growth will be more real.

This is in line with Irfan Hendrayadi’s notes, namely that even though the payment system infrastructure is increasingly sophisticated, high money velocity has not had a significant impact on GDP. Why? Because liquidity is still circulating in the financial sector, not flowing to the real sector. This is where the importance of an inclusive, interconnected payment system that does not burden end users lies.

QRIS is part of an effort to build an efficient digital payment ecosystem. Interconnection between banks and service providers now allows users from one application to pay to QRIS from another provider. However, this interconnection certainly incurs costs that must be borne together. Bank Indonesia has regulated the MDR profit-sharing system between QRIS providers, banks, and merchants. This is where fairness and transparency become important. Don’t let the efficiency of the system be borne by consumers.

Another issue that is also relevant is the push to make QRIS a cross-border payment system. Currently, QRIS Indonesia can be used in Thailand and Malaysia, and will continue to be expanded. In fact, Indonesia is also in the process of joining Nexus, a cross-country fast payment system. The benefits are great for Indonesian migrant workers (TKI), who can send money home more quickly and cheaply. This transformation is very strategic for the future of the national payment system.

However, returning to the local context, the transformation will not go well if actors at the lower level such as MSMEs, shop cashiers, and even small shops do not feel ownership of this system. Comprehensive education is needed about the objectives of QRIS, the MDR profit-sharing system, and its impact on businesses and consumers. Bank Indonesia together with local governments and business associations need to be more active in carrying out literacy and supervision.

As an academic living in South Kalimantan, I believe that Banjarmasin can be a pioneer of inclusive QRIS in eastern Indonesia. With the right approach, business actors can realize that digitalization is not a threat, but an opportunity to speed up transactions, reduce cash risks, and increase competitiveness. Don’t let QRIS, which is supposed to be a relief, become an additional burden, due to misunderstanding.

QRIS is the new face of the national payment system. It is not just technology, but economic infrastructure. And as Bank Indonesia said, the payment system no brakes. It keeps moving. Don’t let us be left behind, just because we are reluctant to understand.

Written by:

Sri Maulida, S.E.Sy., M.E.I — Lecturer at FEB, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin

Published in the Opinion Column of Radar Banjarmasin, May 20, 2025 edition