Jakarta. A Russian envoy said Tuesday that Indonesia’s fears of secondary sanctions had prevented Jakarta from linking its payment system.

Indonesia is stepping up plans to have its QR code-based payment system, better known as QRIS, available in other countries. This move enables Indonesians to pay using the Indonesian rupiah simply by scanning QR codes when traveling abroad. This also applies to foreign tourists from the eligible countries in Indonesia. The cooperation at the moment has been heavily concentrated in Southeast Asian neighbors as the ASEAN group moves away from the American dollar. 

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov doubts that such a linkage could happen with Moscow, at least in the near future. Tolchenov admitted that he “had never heard” of talks between the countries’ central banks on making QRIS usable in Moscow.

“In general, there are some discussions on how to arrange the direct payments between the two countries. To engage in the QRIS system, there should be some Indonesian banks who at least have accounts in and direct contacts with Russian banks,” Tolchenov told the press. 

He went on to say how the Indonesian banks are “not brave enough” and a “little bit afraid of secondary sanctions”.

“They prefer to stay unseen and not do a lot of things. That’s why Indonesia pushes the QR [connections] in the Asia-Pacific [and] Southeast Asia. … I have never heard of Russia mentioned,” Tolchenov said, alluding to Western economic pressure.

Europe and the US have been slapping sanctions on Russia to cut its ability to finance the Ukraine war. They have even isolated Moscow from the global banking system.

There are also sanctions that penalize third countries for backing Moscow. The European Union even added Indonesia’s Karimun Oil Terminal to its sanctions list, claiming that the port had helped Russian crude move past the Western oil price cap.

Russia is currently eyeing more Indonesian tourists to its country. Moscow reported having registered 3,600 trips from Indonesia in the first half of 2026, up 12% year-on-year. Despite having no QRIS linkage, Moscow has come up with “PayInRussia”, the electronic payment service that enables travelers to pay for their transactions using a mobile app.

Indonesians can access QRIS in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, to name a few. The cross-border connection with South Korea recently went live. An expansion to India is in the pipeline.

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