ASEAN Integrated QR Code Payment System

The ASEAN Integrated QR Code Payment System is a 2023 initiative by ASEAN for an integrated QR code payment systems. It was part of ASEAN's Local Currency Transaction (LCT) Framework. The initiative was aimed at using local currencies and reduced dependence on certain currencies, particularly the US dollar, in cross-border transaction among ASEAN countries.^[1][2]

History

At the 10th joint meeting of the ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, held in Jakarta Indonesia on the 25 August 2023, the group committed to integrating each countries QR Payment systems as part of the Financial Integration and Liberalisation agenda.

As of 2024, the following QR Payment systems were or would soon be in the integrated payment system.

Country	QR Code Payment System	Authority/Owner	National QR Integration Launch Date	Cross-Border QR Linkage Launch Date	Notes
Malaysia	DuitNow QR	PayNet and Bank Negara Malaysia	10 December 2018	Thailand (2021)[3] Singapore (2023)[4] Indonesia (2023)[5] Cambodia (2024)[6]	DuitNow allows all participating banks and e-wallets in Malaysia to use the same QR Code for transactions. It is launched by PayNet under the Bank Negara Malaysia's Interoperable Credit Transfer Framework (ICTF). Some of the banks and e-wallets that support this payment system are Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, CIMB, HSBC, Touch 'n Go eWallet, GrabPay, Setel, ShopeePay, OCBC, UOB, ICBC, and more.[7]
Cambodia	KHQR	Soramitsu and National Bank of Cambodia	26 June 2020	Thailand (2020)[8] Laos (2023)[9] Vietnam (2023)[10] Malaysia (2024)[6]	KHQR is Cambodia national QR payment standard part of Bakong System launched in 26 June 2020. KHQR is developed by National Bank of Cambodia and Soramitsu (Japanese-Swiss fintech company).[11][12]
Laos	LAO QR	Bank of the Lao PDR	29 January 2020	Cambodia (2023)[9] Thailand (2024)[13] Vietnam (2025)[14]	LAO QR is a unified QR payment system in Laos. The Bank of the Lao PDR held an official launch on 29 January 2020, with the presence of BOL Governor, Mr. Sonexay Sithphaxay, senior officials from the Bank of Lao PDR, representatives from relevant ministries, and commercial banks financial institutions, Fintech, WB Group, and Union Pay.[15]
Myanmar	MMQR	Central Bank of Myanmar	4 March 2025	-	MyanmarPay (MMQR) is a unified QR code payment system in Myanmar. MMQR ensures seamless interoperability across banks, mobile wallets, and payment platforms. MyanmarPay owned and regulated by the Central Bank of Myanmar and operated by PayPlus Co., Ltd.[16][17][18]
Philippines	QR Ph (National QR Code Standard)	PPMI and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas	20 November 2019	-	QR Ph is the QR code standard in the Philippines, approved by the Philippines Payment Management, inc. (PPMI) in accordance with circular 1055 of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The system is based on the Europay-Mastercard-VISA (EMV) standard, allowing one QR Code to serve transactions from different banks and e-wallets.[19]
Indonesia	QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard)	Bank Indonesia	17 August 2019	Thailand (2022)[8] Malaysia (2023)[5] Singapore (2023)[20]	QRIS combines all the separate QR codes from different payment services into one QR code which can be used by merchants to receive payments from any e-wallets or banks that support QRIS. All payment services in Indonesia required to support QRIS, including GoPay, OVO, Dana, ShopeePay, BCA, BNI, BRI, Mandiri, BSI, UOB Indonesia, DBS Indonesia, CIMB Indonesia, SeaBank, etc.[21]
Singapore	SGQR+ (NETS QR)	MAS and IMDA	17 September 2018	Thailand (2021)[22] Malaysia (2023)[4] Indonesia (2023)[20]	SGQR combines multiple QR codes used by multiple payment services in Singapore, including PayNow and NETS, into one QR code.[23] This scheme is co-owned by MAS and IMDA.[24] SGQR+ is the successor of SGQR, it supports interoperability and cross-border function.[25][26]
Thailand	Thai QR Payment (PromptPay QR)	Bank of Thailand	30 August 2017	Cambodia (2020)[8] Vietnam (2021)[8] Malaysia (2021)[3] Singapore (2021)[22] Indonesia (2022)[8] Laos (2024)[13]	Thai QR Payment (PromptPay) integrates QR payment systems in Thailand. It was launched by the Bank of Thailand.[27]
Vietnam	VietQR	NAPAS	15 June 2021	Thailand (2021)[8] Cambodia (2023)[10] Laos (2025)[14]	VietQR is the national QR code payment standard for Vietnam, launched as a collaborative effort by the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) in partnership with several major banks, including Vietcombank, BIDV, VietinBank, and Agribank. VietQR aims to streamline digital transactions across various financial platforms by using a unified QR code format that supports interoperability among different banks and e-wallets.[28]

References

1. "Joint Statement of the 10th ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM)" (PDF). Jakarta, Indonesia. August 25, 2023.
2. "ASEAN to Increase Local Currency Transactions, Reduce USD Reliance". 12 May 2023.
3. "Launch of the Cross-Border QR Payment Linkage between Malaysia and Thailand". www.bnm.gov.my. Central Bank of Malaysia. June 18, 2021. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
4. "Launch of Cross-border QR Code Payments Connectivity between Singapore and Malaysia". www.mas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
5. "Belanja di Malaysia Sudah Bisa Pakai QRIS dan Kurs Langsung Terkonversi Secara Otomatis". qris.interactive.co.id. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
6. "Malaysia and Cambodia Launch Cross-Border QR Payments Connectivity". www.bnm.gov.my. September 19, 2024. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
7. "DuitNow QR | Customer". www.duitnow.my. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
8. "Cross-Border Payment". www.bot.or.th. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
9. "Officially Launches Cross-Border Payment via QR Code in Laos". www.acledabank.com.kh. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
10. Sereyrath, Sok (2023-12-04). "Cambodia, Vietnam Launch Cross Border QR Code Payment System". Cambodian People's Party-វិមាន៧មករា. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
11. "បាគង | Bakong – The Next-Generation Mobile Payments". bakong.nbc.gov.kh. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
12. "Acleda rolls out KHQR payments - Cambodia News Watch". 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
13. "Joint Press Release Launch of the Cross-border QR Payment Linkage between Thailand and the Lao PDR". www.bot.or.th. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
14. Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) (2025-01-11). "Vietnam, Laos launch cross-border QR code payment connectivity". Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus) (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
15. https://www.bol.gov.la/en/fileupload/02-04-2020_1585800369.pdf
16. "MyanmarPay". myanmarpay.com.mm. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
17. "MMQR payment: MMQR of merchant acquiring service launched | Myanmar International TV". www.myanmaritv.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
18. "ThaibizMyanmar.com : เมียนมาเปิดตัวมาตรฐาน QR ระดับประเทศ Myanmar QR (MMQR) สำหรับการทำธุรกรรมทางการเงิน". ThaibizMyanmar.com. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
19. https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Media_and_Research/Primers%20Faqs/QR_Ph_P2P_FAQs.pdf
20. Rachman, Arrijal. "QRIS Resmi Berlaku di Singapura, Ini Cara Pakainya!". CNBC Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
21. "Informasi Keanggotaan". ASPI Indonesia. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
22. "Singapore and Thailand Launch World's First Linkage of Real-time Payment Systems". www.mas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
23. "Singapore Introduces World's First Unified Payment QR Code – SGQR". www.mas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
24. "Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR)". www.mas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
25. "NETS upgrades SGQR+ payment method, new QR code to complete islandwide rollout". www.hardwarezone.com.sg. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
26. Singapore, Fintech News (2024-11-07). "Here are Key Details on NETS' Islandwide Rollout of SGQR+". Fintech Singapore. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
27. "PromptPay". www.bot.or.th. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
28. "VietQR-Portal". VietQR (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2025-03-10.