Indonesia Opens Credit Payment Option on QRIS Network

Eight Banks Join Initial Rollout

Bank Indonesia has opened its Indonesian Credit Card scheme to retail users and corporations, expanding a payment option previously restricted to government entities. Eight institutions are participating in the initial wave: BCA, Bank Mandiri, BNI, BRI, CIMB Niaga, Permata Bank, Bank Mega, and Bank Syariah Indonesia, according to the central bank.

CIMB Niaga, the sixth-largest bank in Indonesia by assets and majority-owned by Malaysia's CIMB Group, is among the lenders now issuing the digital cards. Bank Syariah Indonesia is developing a sharia-compliant financing version of the product.

The cards work within the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard network, the country's unified QR payment infrastructure. Acting Governor Destry Damayanti framed the launch as an Independence Day initiative timed to Indonesia's 81st anniversary, describing it as a policy response designed to align payment system innovation with economic growth.

Scale of the QRIS Ecosystem

The QRIS network has reached significant scale across the archipelago. As of June 2026, the system counted 65.77 million users and 44.86 million merchants, with micro, small, and medium enterprises representing 96.68 percent of the merchant base, Bank Indonesia reported.

Transaction volume in the first half of 2026 totaled 12.55 billion payments worth 1.12 quadrillion rupiah, underscoring the infrastructure's role in Indonesia's shift toward digital commerce. The new credit option adds a financing layer to a system that has so far operated primarily on debit and stored-value rails.

From Digital to Physical

The Indonesian Credit Card is launching as a digital product, but Bank Indonesia has signaled plans to extend the scheme. Ryan Rizaldy, head of the central bank's Payment System Policy Department, noted that the card will be developed to support online payments and offline transactions using physical cards in future phases.

The earlier version of the card was issued exclusively to central and regional government agencies to facilitate public spending. Opening the scheme to individuals and businesses marks a broader push to integrate credit into Indonesia's fast-growing digital payment landscape, particularly among smaller merchants who have adopted QRIS at scale.

Regional Context

Indonesia's move mirrors efforts across Southeast Asia to embed credit and buy-now-pay-later options into national payment systems. Singapore's PayNow and Thailand's PromptPay have both explored credit integration, while Malaysia's DuitNow has expanded into cross-border remittances. The region's digital finance infrastructure is evolving beyond simple transfers into layered financial services.

For CIMB Group, the inclusion of its Indonesian subsidiary in the scheme strengthens its position in the country's retail banking market. The bank has been competing with state-owned lenders and regional players for share in consumer finance, and access to the QRIS credit channel offers a distribution advantage in a market where QR payments have become ubiquitous.

Bank Indonesia's timing also reflects a broader policy interest in sustaining domestic consumption as the country navigates global economic headwinds. Expanding credit access through a familiar payment interface could support spending among the millions of small merchants and consumers already using QRIS, without requiring new hardware or onboarding processes.