Paiements QR transfrontaliers : le défi de l'interopérabilité
QR payment interoperability between countries: Nexus, Project DunBar, EMV cross-border, and the path to universal QR payments.
Cross-Border QR Payments: The Interoperability Challenge
The vision of scanning any QR code in any country with any payment app remains a work in progress. Cross-border QR payment interoperability faces technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges.
Current State
Most QR payment systems are domestic-only. A traveller from Singapore cannot scan a Thai PromptPay QR code with their PayNow app (with some exceptions through bilateral agreements).
Bilateral Agreements
Several country pairs have established QR payment interoperability:
| Corridor | Systems | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand-Singapore | PromptPay-PayNow | Active |
| Thailand-Malaysia | PromptPay-DuitNow | Active |
| Singapore-India | PayNow-UPI | Active |
| Singapore-Malaysia | PayNow-DuitNow | Active |
| Thailand-Japan | PromptPay-JPQR | Pilot |
Project Nexus
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub's Project Nexus aims to create a multilateral payment platform connecting domestic instant payment systems:
- Technical protocol for connecting national systems
- Standardised message format for cross-border transactions
- FX conversion at competitive rates
- Compliance with each country's AML/KYC requirements
Technical Challenges
Standard misalignment: Each national system uses different QR code data formats, transaction protocols, and settlement mechanisms.
Currency conversion: Real-time FX rate determination and settlement adds complexity and cost.
Settlement: Cross-border settlement requires correspondent banking or dedicated clearing infrastructure.
AML/KYC compliance: Each country has different anti-money laundering requirements that must be satisfied for cross-border transactions.
The EMV QR Path
EMV QR specification provides a common foundation, but national extensions create incompatibilities. Full interoperability requires:
- Standardised data fields beyond EMV baseline
- Agreed routing protocols between systems
- Settlement infrastructure for multi-currency transactions
- Regulatory harmonisation across jurisdictions
Key Takeaways
- Most QR payment systems are domestic-only today
- Bilateral agreements enable specific country-pair interoperability
- Project Nexus aims for multilateral connectivity
- Technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges remain significant
- Full global QR payment interoperability is years away