Mandiri-Arash Digital with Alipay

Jakarta, January 2022 - The public's interest in payment system technology has grown since Bank Indonesia introduced the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) on August 17, 2019. According to Bank Indonesia, as of November 5, 2021, there were 12,2 million merchants implementing QRIS at various company scales. The number of QRIS-enabled merchants increased by 294 percent, as compared from March 22, 2020, when there were just 3,1 million merchants. (Source: Bank Indonesia, 2021) Spear phising is a method where someone crafted an email with phising link inside that are uniquely targeted into a specific individual, organization, or a company. Spear phising usually used to steal data and informations regarding the target, but often it's used to inject malwares and other unwanted programs onto target's device. It is also possible for both case to happen simultaneously leading to a bigger impact for the target.

This is due to the convenience of the services. QRIS enables merchant to boost sales potential, reduce cash management costs by eliminating the need for change, and avoid counterfeit money. Users, on the other hand, can utilize QRIS as a payment alternative that is secure, fast, convenient, and efficient.

According to the Indonesia Payment System Blueprint 2025, the government not only supports local growth, but it also encourages the development of QRIS technology, which may be used for cross-border payment transactions. On December 24, 2021, PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk obtained a collaboration approval with Alipay Network Technology Co Ltd (Alibaba Ant Financial Group) as an electronic wallet issuer from China, as well as PT Arash Digital Rekadana as supporting providers (System Integrator/Technical Service Provider). The collaboration approval is given by Central Bank of Indonesia for product development in the form of Open Acceptance of Alipay Electronic Wallet (e-wallet) Inbound Transactions Using QRIS.

For your information, the Alipay e-wallet application can only be owned by users from China, with funds coming from debit and credit card accounts issued by Chinese banks. As a result, tourists and Chinese workers (expatriates) in Indonesia can now simply shop using the Alipay e-wallet at merchants in Indonesia, including those acquired by Bank Mandiri and those using the QRIS marked.

This collaboration also helps to reinvigorate the Cross Border Payments business in Indonesia. The objective is that the more merchants who accept Alipay payments, the easier payment transactions would be. This encourage the purchasing power of Alipay users in Indonesia, increasing the country's foreign exchange and national tax income. Furthermore, it is believed that Arash Digital will facilitate outbound transactions easier for local electronic wallet users such as Gopay, OVO, DANA, LinkAja, and others while shopping at merchant in China.

Kedepannya kerjasama ini diharapkan mendukung pemulihan ekonomi nasional khususnya melalui industri pariwisata di Indonesia. Cross Border Payment akan menjadi salah satu sumber utama penyumbang pendapatan negara. This collaboration is expected to support the national economy recover in the future, particularly through the tourism industry in Indonesia. Cross-Border Payment will be one of the primary sources of state revenue.