BALI — The growing use of cross-border digital payments is making it easier for foreign tourists to make purchases in Bali, with transactions through Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) surging in recent years.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Bali recorded Rp36 billion in cross-border QRIS transactions in Bali last year, up 229 per cent from Rp10.9 billion in 2024.

The volume of transactions also rose 224 per cent to 148,717 in 2025, as reported by Antara.

Head of BI’s Bali Representative Office Achris Sarwani said the increase reflected the growing adoption of QRIS among businesses and foreign visitors.

The system is currently connected to payment platforms in six countries — Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and China.

“Currently, six countries are involved: Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and China,” Sarwani said on August 8.

Indonesia is also conducting trials with Saudi Arabia and India, two markets seen as having significant potential for tourism and other cross-border activities.

Sarwani said Saudi Arabia was an important market for Indonesia, including as a destination for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims, while India had become an increasingly significant source of foreign tourists, particularly to Bali.

“Indeed, the number of Indian tourists in Bali is on the rise,” he said.

Malaysian tourists are currently the most frequent users of QRIS for transactions both nationally and in Bali, according to BI.

The growing availability of QRIS is also supported by its widespread adoption among local businesses. More than 1.1 million business outlets in Bali now accept QRIS, while the number of users has exceeded 1.15 million.

The expansion comes as Bali continues to attract millions of international visitors. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Bali recorded 3.2 million foreign tourist arrivals during the first half of 2026, although the figure was 2.82 per cent lower than the same period last year.

Australia remained Bali’s largest source of foreign visitors, with 802,000 arrivals, followed by China with 285,000 and India with 278,000.

Bali also has direct air connections with India and Saudi Arabia through airlines operating routes between the countries, further supporting access from the two emerging tourism markets.