Quick Answer: Singapore merchants can accept QRIS — Indonesia's national QR payment standard — through HitPay without setting up a local Indonesian entity. HitPay supports QRIS as a cross-border payment method for Singapore-based businesses, with earnings paid out in SGD. Activation takes 3–5 business days after submission.

Indonesia is Singapore's largest tourist source market by volume, and Indonesian visitors are among the highest-spending inbound travellers in the country. According to Singapore Department of Statistics, retail and food services remain the top spending categories for inbound visitors. The problem: most Indonesian consumers pay via QRIS-linked apps — GoPay, OVO, Dana, ShopeePay ID, and hundreds of local bank apps — rather than international cards. Merchants that only accept PayNow, GrabPay, or cards are invisible to this payment behaviour.

Accepting QRIS is not a niche add-on. It is a practical decision for any Singapore business in Orchard Road retail, Bugis street markets, Tanjong Pagar F&B, or Jurong East hospitality that regularly serves Indonesian visitors.

What Is QRIS and How Does It Work for Singapore Merchants?

Quick Response Indonesian Standard (QRIS) is the unified QR payment infrastructure mandated by Bank Indonesia. It consolidates all Indonesian e-wallets and bank apps into a single QR code format. An Indonesian customer using GoPay, OVO, Dana, or any QRIS-compatible bank app can scan the same QRIS code — they do not need to match the merchant's specific wallet.

For Singapore merchants, accepting QRIS means displaying a QR code that Indonesian customers scan with their home apps. The transaction processes in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) on the customer's side. The merchant receives the equivalent value converted to SGD. No currency handling is required at the point of sale.

This is structurally different from accepting PayNow or GrabPay, where both parties transact in SGD. QRIS is a cross-border flow: the customer pays in IDR, and the merchant settles in home currency. As Visa's economic empowerment research on digital payments adoption shows, cross-border QR interoperability is expanding rapidly across Southeast Asia — QRIS acceptance in Singapore sits within this broader shift.

How Do Singapore Merchants Set Up QRIS Acceptance?

HitPay supports QRIS as a cross-border payment method for Singapore merchants — both online and in-person via POS. No Indonesian business entity is required.

The setup process is:

1. Log in to the HitPay dashboard

2. Navigate to Settings > Payment Methods

3. Locate QRIS under cross-border payment methods

4. Submit the activation request

5. Partner providers process activation within 3–5 business days

6. Once live, a QRIS QR code is available in the HitPay POS app and via the online checkout

For in-person use, the HitPay Borderless QR feature — available on Android, iOS, and Web POS — generates a single dynamic QR code that supports both local Singapore payment methods and international methods including QRIS. The merchant enters the price in SGD. HitPay auto-converts using real-time exchange rates, and the customer pays in IDR from their Indonesian app.

For online stores, QRIS can be embedded as a checkout option via HitPay's payment gateway or through QR code payments integrations across WooCommerce, Shopify, and other platforms.

What Are the Fees and Settlement Terms for QRIS?

For in-person QRIS transactions via HitPay Borderless QR, a per-transaction fee applies. See hitpayapp.com/pricing for current rates.

Settlement works as follows: QRIS transaction earnings are converted and paid out in SGD. For cross-border transactions, payout timing is T+2. This differs from domestic Singapore payment methods like PayNow and GrabPay, which settle at T+1 calendar day in SGD.

Merchants should account for this T+2 timeline in cash flow planning for days with high tourist volume. For a practical view of how HitPay structures payouts across payment types, the HitPay payout guide covers settlement timelines in detail.

Does HitPay Meet Singapore Regulatory Requirements for Cross-Border QR?

HitPay holds a Major Payment Institution licence (PS20200643) issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Payment Services Act. This licence covers domestic and cross-border payment services, including cross-border QR acceptance for Singapore-based merchants. Businesses do not need separate licensing to accept QRIS through HitPay — the regulatory coverage is included in the platform.

HitPay is also PCI DSS compliant, which means card and wallet transaction data meets international security standards.

How Does QRIS Fit Into a Broader Tourist Payment Strategy?

QRIS covers Indonesian visitors. Singapore merchants serving mixed international foot traffic can extend the same infrastructure to other cross-border QR methods available on HitPay — including WeChat Pay (China), UPI (India), PromptPay (Thailand), and DuitNow (Malaysia).

The HitPay Borderless QR approach means a single QR code at the counter can dynamically resolve to the correct payment method for each customer's country — no need to display separate QR codes per nationality.

For businesses managing multiple payment methods alongside invoicing and reconciliation, alternative payment methods in Southeast Asia provides broader context on how QR-based methods are reshaping regional payment behaviour. Merchants on HitPay can activate QRIS alongside PayNow, GrabPay, ShopeePay, Atome, and cards — all from one dashboard with no monthly fees.

HitPay charges no setup fee and no monthly subscription. Approval for a new merchant account takes 1–3 business days.

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