Jakarta. Indonesia’s largest banks have connected their mobile banking platforms to China’s dominant digital payment ecosystems -- including Alipay, UnionPay, and Weixin Pay -- as part of a new cross-border payment system launched on April 30.

The integration allows Indonesians traveling to China to make payments directly in rupiah using QRIS, the national QR-code payment standard developed by Bank Indonesia, without the need to exchange cash or carry US dollars.

Indonesia’s four largest banks -- Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Mandiri, and Bank Central Asia (BCA) -- have integrated cross-border QRIS services into their applications, enabling transactions with major Chinese payment platforms.

The rollout follows a pilot phase launched in August 2025, which generated 1.64 million transactions worth Rp 556 billion ($32 million).

The initiative is expected to benefit not only Indonesian tourists visiting China, but also students and professionals living there for longer periods.

“I just found out that QRIS can already be used in China. It will make daily life much easier,” said Amantha Laura, a 20-year-old Indonesian student studying tourism in Chongqing, in a telephone interview on Thursday.

During her first year in China, Laura relied on Alipay and WeChat Pay accounts funded through transfers from her parents in Tangerang. With QRIS integration, she can now use her Indonesian banking application directly for transactions.

“I want to try it immediately,” she said.

Another Indonesian student, Aiska Kayla, 22, who has been living in Nantong, Jiangsu, for several years, said the digital payment partnership makes Indonesians feel “more at home” while living abroad.

“In China, everything is already digital -- even street performers accept QR payments,” she joked.

She also pointed to China’s advanced payment technologies, including facial recognition and palm-scanning systems that allow transactions even when users forget to carry their cellphones, as innovations Indonesia could eventually adopt.

BRI Leads Early Integration
BRI was the first Indonesian bank to connect with Alipay back in 2020. At the time, the integration mainly supported Chinese tourists and business travelers visiting Indonesia rather than enabling two-way transactions.

Under the new Indonesia-China QRIS arrangement, BRI customers traveling in China can now transact more easily using the same ecosystem.

Meanwhile, BNI officially launched its QRIS Cross Border feature during a ceremony attended by Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong, and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno.

Through BNI’s Wondr application, users can make payments at merchants connected to Alipay and UnionPay in China simply by scanning QR codes, without exchanging cash.

“We want to ensure customers can transact easily anywhere, including in China, while also supporting spending by foreign tourists in Indonesia,” said Sri Indira, senior executive vice president for network and sales at BNI.

BCA, Indonesia’s largest private bank, has also adopted cross-border payment connectivity with China. Its customers can use Alipay and Weixin Pay -- better known internationally as WeChat Pay -- through linked debit and credit cards, though users must first register their passports within the respective apps.

Bank Mandiri has integrated China QR payments into its Livin’ by Mandiri application, responding to strong growth in overseas transactions by Indonesian customers.

According to the bank, cross-border QR transaction values surged 137% year-on-year to Rp 54 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

“The significant growth in cross-border transactions shows a shift in customer behavior toward global digital payments,” said Jan Winston Tambunan, director of network and retail banking at Bank Mandiri.

The bank said its 39.1 million application users can now transact at millions of merchants in China by scanning UnionPay or Alipay QR codes without needing currency exchange or even login access in some cases.

Mandiri has also introduced yuan-denominated multicurrency accounts, enabling customers to withdraw cash at Visa-linked ATMs in China without foreign exchange conversion.

The lender already offers similar QR cross-border services in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.