Bank Indonesia wants transaction records from QRIS, the country’s national QR payment standard, to help lenders judge the creditworthiness of small businesses. With about 71 million users and 49.4 million merchants, QRIS could give unbanked traders a route to formal loans, though no start date is set.
Read More
Japan’s National Police Agency will add QR codes to traffic tickets from July 2027, letting offenders pay minor fines by credit card, smartphone app or online banking instead of queuing at a bank. Here is how it will work and what it means for Japan’s cashless push.
Read More
Bank Negara Malaysia has launched SSDS+, an in-house platform for issuing, holding and settling tokenised bonds and sukuk. Linked to the 24/7 RENTAS+ payment system, it is built to support government and retail bonds, opening a path to smaller, more accessible investments.
Read More
Prasarana expects to pick a vendor for its open payment fare system by end-2026 after a failed first tender. Full rollout on Rapid KL rail could take 30 months from the project start, with Klang Valley buses targeted within 15 months.
Read More
India has delayed a 0.4% merchant fee on UPI payments above ₹2,000 until after Diwali. But 83% of merchants say they won’t absorb it, and the central bank already sees a ‘cash paradox’ as notes grow alongside digital payments.
Read More
The Finance Ministry says a viral poster claiming QR payments will carry a service charge from 1 November 2026 is untrue. Here is what MOF said, how QR payment costs actually work for shoppers and merchants, and how to spot a fake payments notice.
Read More
Malaysia will introduce its first Tokenised Retail Savings Sukuk, utilizing blockchain technology to democratize government bond investments. Announced during Budget 2027, the initiative allows retail investors to directly fund specific public sector projects, reflecting a broader strategy to digitize the Islamic capital market.
Read More
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) have signed a comprehensive agreement to enhance financial and payment cooperation. The pact focuses on cross-border stablecoins, digital asset innovation, payment system integration, trade finance, local currency usage, and cybersecurity.
Read More
Part of our Asia Payment Infrastructure series. A general overview of how Thailand’s payment system works — the regulator, the PromptPay backbone, the QR standard, e-wallets, cross-border links, and the country’s CBDC exploration.
Read More
Part of our Asia Payment Infrastructure series. A general overview of how Malaysia’s payment system is built — the regulator, the national operator, the instant-payment rails, the QR standard, e-wallets, and cross-border links.
Read More