Quick Answer: Malaysian merchants can accept QRIS payments from Indonesian customers — both online and in-person — through HitPay without needing a local Indonesian business entity. QRIS activation takes 3–5 business days after submission, and earnings settle in MYR via T+2 payouts. HitPay supports QRIS as a cross-border payment method across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy, and its citizens are among the most active cross-border spenders in the region. For Malaysian businesses in high-footfall areas like Johor Bahru, KLCC, and Bukit Bintang, Indonesian customers are not an edge case — they are a core revenue segment. Yet most merchants still lack a way to accept the payment method those customers use at home.

QRIS — short for Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard — is Indonesia's national QR payment scheme, standardised and mandated by Bank Indonesia. It consolidates all major Indonesian e-wallets and bank apps into a single scannable code. If a customer uses GoPay, OVO, Dana, or any Indonesian bank app, they are already using QRIS. According to Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), cross-border digital payments are a growing priority for Malaysia's digital economy roadmap — and Indonesian visitor spend is a meaningful part of that picture.

What Is QRIS and Why Do Malaysian Merchants Need It?

QRIS is the interoperable QR standard that unifies all Indonesian e-wallets and bank transfer apps under one code. A customer in Surabaya using GoPay and a customer in Medan using BCA mobile will both scan the same QRIS code to pay.

For Malaysian merchants, this matters for a straightforward reason: Indonesian visitors cannot easily pay with DuitNow QR, Touch 'n Go, or FPX. They arrive with their home apps and expect to pay the same way they do in Jakarta or Bali. Merchants that cannot accommodate this face abandoned transactions or the friction of directing customers to an ATM.

Johor Bahru alone sees millions of Indonesian visitor crossings annually. A retail shop in Bukit Bintang or a food and beverage (F&B) operator near KLCC encountering Indonesian groups on a weekend is not a rare event — it is routine. Accepting QRIS removes a genuine checkout barrier.

How Does QRIS Work for Malaysian Merchants?

When a Malaysian merchant accepts a QRIS payment, the transaction flow works as follows:

1. The merchant presents a QRIS QR code at checkout — either a static display QR or a dynamically generated one through a POS or payment link.

2. The Indonesian customer opens their home e-wallet or bank app and scans the code.

3. The customer pays in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) from their account.

4. HitPay handles real-time currency conversion in the background.

5. The merchant receives a payout in MYR — no manual foreign exchange conversion required.

Settlement for cross-border QRIS transactions occurs at T+2 (two business days after the transaction date). Domestic Malaysian payment methods such as DuitNow QR, FPX, and Touch 'n Go settle on the next business day.

For in-person use, merchants can display a static QRIS QR code or generate a dynamic one through the HitPay POS app. For online use, QRIS can be integrated into a checkout page or payment link, meaning an Indonesian customer ordering from a Malaysian e-commerce store can complete payment without needing a card.

How to Start Accepting QRIS in Malaysia with HitPay

HitPay supports QRIS as a cross-border payment method for Malaysian merchants. No local Indonesian business registration is required. The activation process runs through HitPay's dashboard:

1. Sign up for a HitPay account at hitpayapp.com — approval typically takes 1–3 business days.

2. Log in to the HitPay dashboard and navigate to Settings > Payment Methods.

3. Locate QRIS under the Cross-Border section and click to activate.

4. Submit any required documents as prompted by the onboarding flow.

5. Wait 3–5 business days for partner provider activation to complete.

6. Once active, QRIS appears as a payment option across HitPay's POS, payment links, and online checkout.

For merchants running WooCommerce stores, QRIS integrates through the HitPay plugin — the guide on accepting QRIS payments on WooCommerce covers the full integration flow for cross-border use cases.

HitPay is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS, licence PS20200643) and operates under Bank Negara Malaysia compliance requirements for cross-border payment acceptance in Malaysia.

What Other Cross-Border Payment Methods Can Malaysian Merchants Accept?

QRIS is one of several cross-border QR methods available to Malaysian merchants through HitPay. The full cross-border stack available in Malaysia is:

For context on how this compares to local Malaysian payment methods: PayNet Malaysia operates DuitNow QR and FPX as the domestic backbone, both of which settle instantly or next business day. Cross-border methods sit alongside — not instead of — the local stack.

Merchants serving a mixed local and international customer base can run both domestic (DuitNow QR, Touch 'n Go, FPX, GrabPay, Boost) and cross-border methods from a single HitPay account. Reconciliation flows through one dashboard, with payouts in MYR regardless of the originating payment method.

HitPay's Borderless QR feature — launched in January 2026 — takes this further. It generates a single dynamic QR code that supports both local and international payment methods in one checkout flow, at a 1.5% transaction fee for cross-border transactions on POS, plus a 1% FX markup applied at settlement. A merchant in Bangsar running a weekend market does not need to manage separate QR codes for different customer nationalities.

For businesses comparing payment gateway options, the Stripe alternatives guide for Malaysia provides a broader view of how different providers handle local and cross-border payment method coverage.

What Should Malaysian Merchants Know Before Activating QRIS?

Several operational points are worth confirming before activating:

Settlement currency: Merchants receive payouts in MYR. QRIS transactions originate in IDR, and HitPay handles conversion at real-time exchange rates. Merchants do not need an IDR account.

Settlement timing: Cross-border QRIS settles at T+2, not next business day. Plan cash flow accordingly if QRIS is expected to represent a meaningful share of daily volume.

Online and offline use: QRIS is available for both in-person (POS QR code display) and online (payment links, checkout pages, API). Merchants should activate both channels if relevant.

No local entity required: A Malaysian-registered business can accept QRIS without any Indonesian company registration. HitPay handles the cross-border infrastructure.

Transaction fees: HitPay charges no monthly or setup fee. Cross-border payment method fees apply per transaction — see hitpayapp.com/pricing for current rates.

For merchants building out a broader payment stack, the overview of QR code payments and how to accept them covers how QR-based methods work across DuitNow, QRIS, and other regional schemes — useful context before deciding which methods to activate.

Practical Takeaway

Malaysian merchants in tourist corridors, border towns, and high-footfall retail or F&B locations should treat QRIS as a standard payment option, not an optional add-on. Indonesian visitors paying with GoPay, OVO, or Dana cannot use Malaysian QR infrastructure. A merchant that accepts QRIS removes that barrier entirely, with no foreign entity registration, no IDR account, and no manual currency handling. Activation through HitPay takes 3–5 business days after account approval.

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