Indonesia vs Pakistan · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | QRIS | Raast |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | ✓ | — |
| Wallet Support | ◐ | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | ◐ | — |
| ISO 20022 | — | ✓ |
| Request to Pay | — | — |
| Open API | ◐ | ◐ |
| Alias/Proxy | — | ✓ |
Indonesia's national QR code standard (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) that unifies QR payments across banks, e-wallets (GoPay, OVO, Dana, ShopeePay), and the BI-FAST rail into a single interoperable code. Unlike most payment systems that are a single rail, QRIS is a multi-rail standard — merchants display one QR code that consumers can scan with any participating app, with settlement happening through whichever rail the consumer's app uses. Mandated by Bank Indonesia, QRIS processed 34B+ transactions in 2024 and is central to Indonesia's financial inclusion strategy for its 17,000-island archipelago.
Pakistan's instant payment system launched by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as part of its Digital Pakistan vision. Raast (meaning "direct path" in Urdu) enables 24/7 real-time transfers between banks and fintech providers via IBAN, mobile number (Raast ID), or CNIC (national ID). Designed with ISO 20022 messaging from the ground up, Raast supports P2P, P2M, and bulk/salary disbursements. With Pakistan's 220M+ population and only ~30% banked, Raast is a critical financial inclusion tool. It also includes a request-to-pay feature and plans for QR-based merchant payments.