Indonesia pushes digital payments to transform national trade

hartono · Aug 27, 2026

Indonesia pushes digital payments to transform national trade

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto at the press conference of the 2026 Indonesia Retail Summit and Expo (IRSE) at Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), Jakarta, Wednesday (August 26, 2026). ANTARA/Arnidhya Nur Zhafira

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the development of digital payments plays a crucial role in supporting the transformation of national trade.

His statement is in line with data from Bank Indonesia, which showed that the Indonesian Standard for Quick Response Codes (QRIS) had reached 65.77 million users by June 2026, making payments more inclusive and convenient for businesses and consumers.

“We see that the QRIS payment system is already used by 65.77 million users and accepted by 44.86 million merchants, with 96.68 percent of them being micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs),” the minister said on Wednesday.

He added that advancing digitalization is crucial to building a more efficient and inclusive trade ecosystem.

“We are encouraging more modern, comprehensive, structural, and adaptive trade,” Hartarto said.

He said strengthening domestic trade is also in line with the role of consumption as a key driver of national economic growth.

Hartarto said household consumption grew 5.06 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the second quarter of 2026, contributing 53.32 percent to gross domestic product (GDP).

Meanwhile, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) stood at 116.8 in July 2026, remaining above the optimistic threshold of 100.

The ministry's spokesperson, Haryo Limanseto, added that strengthening the trade sector requires a more comprehensive understanding of changing consumption patterns and the development of the business ecosystem.

“Trade transformation is not merely about boosting shopping activity, but also about building an ecosystem that links consumers, businesses, domestic producers, and payment and distribution systems,” he said.

He added that a more integrated ecosystem could allow shopping tourism and domestic consumption to generate greater added value for the national economy, as reflected in the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia during the first semester of 2026, which reached 7.45 million, a 5.71 percent increase year-on-year (yoy).