Antara News·Indonesia·Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 02:41 PM

BI expands cross-border QRIS to boost foreign tourists spending

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Fitra Ashari, Uyu Liman

Indonesia's central bank is accelerating the expansion of cross-border digital payments to make transactions easier for international tourists and reverse a recent decline in their average spending.

Senior Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Aida S. Budiman said here on Saturday that enhancing global financial connectivity is vital to driving economic productivity, especially as the country navigates global economic headwinds and market volatility.

"When we talk about cross-border interactions, we must figure out how to optimize mobility — the mobility of people, goods, and services," Budiman remarked during a digital finance forum FEKDI x IFSE 2026.

She highlighted that economic and digital financial connectivity has the potential to drive the growth of the national tourism sector, especially since Indonesia has various natural landscapes and cultural heritage that become tourist attractions.

She noted that foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia have rebounded steadily over the past three years. However, individual spending has lagged.

"If we look closely, tourist spending has declined. It was once nearly US$1,400 per person, but now it has fallen below US$1,300,” Budiman stated.

Thus, ease of transaction is a key aspect to increase spending, she said, noting that the shifting trend toward digital payments reflects how payment convenience can drive consumption.

Such convenience enables tourists to make spontaneous purchases at various locations, including local businesses.

"This boils down to the ease of transacting. Making it easier for foreign tourists to seamlessly make purchases will, in turn, boost their overall spending," she explained.

To achieve this, Bank Indonesia is actively expanding its cross-border Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) network.

The system, which allows international visitors to pay for goods by simply scanning a unified QR code with their home country's mobile banking apps, is currently linked with payment networks in six countries.

However, Budiman stressed that significant room for expansion remains. Tourists from the six connected nations currently account for only about 40 percent of international arrivals in Indonesia.

"We still need to tap into the remaining 60 percent of foreign tourists to boost both arrivals and their overall spending," she concluded.

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