QRIS in Singapore: Connect to Indonesia’s Cashless Consumers
- Pedro Garcia
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) is Indonesia’s national QR payment framework developed by Bank Indonesia to unify all domestic wallets and banks under a single system. It now connects over 30 million merchants and 45 million active users across the country.
For Singapore merchants in retail, hospitality, and travel, enabling QRIS payments opens access to one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital consumer markets. In 2024 alone, more than 2.3 million Indonesian visitors arrived in Singapore, contributing over S$2 billion in tourism receipts, according to the Singapore Tourism Board. These travellers prefer mobile-first payment options such as GoPay, OVO, DANA, and LinkAja, all supported under the QRIS network.
Through Debia’s unified payment gateway, merchants can now activate QRIS alongside PayNow, GrabPay, and card payments using a single POS system. Every payment is settled in Singapore dollars, creating a frictionless checkout for Indonesian customers and simplified operations for local businesses.
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Why QRIS Matters for Singapore Merchants
Singapore and Indonesia share one of the busiest travel and trade corridors in Southeast Asia. In 2024, over 2.3 million Indonesians visited Singapore, contributing more than S$2 billion in tourism receipts, according to the Singapore Tourism Board. Many of these visitors prefer to pay digitally through wallets connected to QRIS. By enabling QRIS, Singapore merchants can unlock three key advantages:
1. Capture spending from a large, mobile-first customer base
Indonesia’s digital economy continues to expand rapidly, with over 40 million active QRIS users and 30 million connected merchants. Accepting QRIS helps Singapore businesses capture spending from a tech-savvy population already familiar with QR payments. For F&B, retail, and hospitality operators, this means quicker transactions and greater appeal among inbound visitors.
2. Simplify settlement and currency conversion
QRIS transactions are automatically converted from Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) to Singapore Dollars (SGD) at the point of settlement. Through Debia’s system, this happens instantly and transparently, reducing manual foreign exchange handling and reconciliation time. Merchants receive clear reports in SGD without additional effort.
3. Align with ASEAN’s cross-border QR integration
QRIS is a key part of the ASEAN regional payment framework, jointly supported by Bank Indonesia and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The direct link between PayNow and QRIS allows consumers to transact across borders in real time. For merchants, this means being ready for the growing demand in cross-border digital payments across Southeast Asia.
What Makes QRIS Unique
QRIS stands out as one of Southeast Asia’s most structured and inclusive QR payment systems. Created by Bank Indonesia, it unifies all wallets and banks under one national standard, meaning users of GoPay, OVO, DANA, or ShopeePay can all pay through the same QR code.
For Singapore merchants, this offers two main advantages:
Universal compatibility: every Indonesian customer can pay instantly without confusion or multiple codes at checkout.
Cross-border efficiency: QRIS connects directly with Singapore’s PayNow network, allowing real-time payments in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) with automatic settlement in Singapore Dollars (SGD).
Looking To Adopt QRIS Today?
How Debia Integrates QRIS into One Payment System
Debia makes QRIS acceptance simple, unified, and ready for immediate activation. Through our POS terminals, soft POS, and API integrations, merchants can accept QRIS payments without additional hardware or separate onboarding. The goal is to make regional QR acceptance as seamless as accepting PayNow or GrabPay locally.
1. One dashboard for all payment rails
All QRIS transactions appear alongside PayNow, Alipay+, and card payments in Debia’s unified merchant portal. Business owners can filter transactions by payment method, outlet, or date range, download settlement reports, and monitor cash flow in real time. This centralised view helps eliminate manual reconciliation across multiple providers.
2. Transparent settlement in Singapore dollars
Every transaction made via QRIS is instantly settled in SGD, with foreign exchange handled automatically at competitive rates. Merchants avoid conversion errors or delays, which is especially important for high-volume tourist areas.
3. Seamless integration for SMEs and enterprises
Whether you’re a boutique café in Bugis or a hotel chain at Marina Bay, QRIS can be enabled directly from the merchant dashboard. No extra software or hardware procurement is required; a single integration supports all regional QR rails.
4. Compliant and secure infrastructure
As a licensed Major Payment Institution under the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Debia ensures every QRIS transaction meets strict PCI DSS and EMV standards. All data is encrypted end-to-end, with automatic fraud detection measures in place
Conclusion: Expand Your Reach with QRIS and Debia
QRIS is more than a payment method; it is the bridge that connects Singapore merchants with Indonesia’s 30+ million active QR users. As ASEAN countries continue strengthening cross-border payment links, accepting QRIS ensures your business remains accessible to one of the region’s fastest-growing consumer markets.
For merchants in retail, hospitality, and F&B, enabling QRIS through Debia provides a smooth payment experience for Indonesian travellers while keeping all transactions consolidated, compliant, and simple to reconcile. It’s a practical move that helps your business capture new revenue streams and stay ahead in the regional cashless landscape.
To see how QRIS fits within your full payment strategy, visit Debia Payments to explore all supported payment rails.
For personalised setup guidance, contact the Debia team at hello@debia.co. We’ll help you activate QRIS and other payment options quickly, with no extra hardware or technical complexity.