Payments/BN
Brunei Darussalam
ISO BN · 3 schemes
Summary
- tarusQR is the National QR Code Standard
- tarus instant payment system (Q4 2024 launch)
- ndpx (National Digital Payment Network) operates infrastructure
- BDCB mandated national QR standard adoption
- ASEAN QR cross-border initiative planned
Banking landscape
Central Bank
- Name: Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB)
- Website: https://www.bdcb.gov.bn/
- Role: Monetary policy, payment systems regulation
Major Banks (2024)
| Rank | Bank Name | Type | Digital Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam | Islamic | BIBD Mobile |
| 2 | Baiduri Bank | Commercial | Baiduri Mobile |
| 3 | Standard Chartered | Foreign | SC Mobile |
Market Structure
- ndpx: Joint venture by BIBD, Baiduri, TAIB, Darussalam Assets
- Two major local banks: BIBD and Baiduri
- Founded 2022: ndpx digitalisation spearhead
- Wawasan Brunei 2035: National vision alignment
Payment infrastructure
National Payment Systems
| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| tarus | ndpx | Instant payment | Active (Q4 2024) |
| tarusQR | ndpx | QR Standard | Pilot |
| Baiduri Qpay | Baiduri | QR Payment | Active |
| DSTPay | DST/Baiduri | E-wallet | Active |
tarus Instant Payment System
- Brunei's first instant payment system
- Operated by ndpx
- BDCB Approved Payment System Operator
- Previously known as Digital Payment Hub
Digital Economy Alignment
- Wawasan Brunei 2035
- Digital Economy Masterplan 2025
- BDCB Digital Payment Roadmap
- Digital Economy Council flagship project
QR code standards
tarusQR (National QR Code Standard)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | tarusQR |
| Operator | ndpx |
| Mandate | BDCB directive |
| Status | Pilot phase |
tarusQR Features
- National QR Code Standard for Payments
- All PSPs/PSOs must comply
- Readable by all participating banks/wallets
- Interoperability enabled
BDCB Mandate
- Notice issued requiring national QR standard
- Payment service providers must comply
- Payment system operators must adopt
- Improved interoperability goal
tarus Rollout Phases
| Phase | Timeline | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Q4 2024 | Instant transfers via phone number |
| Phase 2 | 2025 | Standardized QR for businesses, Request-to-Pay |
Current Status (Pilot Phase)
- Select users testing scanning
- Generation features for sending/receiving
- Once successful, public availability
- Interoperable QR codes
Mobile payment apps
| App | Provider | QR | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIBD Mobile | BIBD | Yes | Full banking |
| Baiduri Mobile | Baiduri | Yes | Banking, Qpay |
| DSTPay | DST/Baiduri/UnionPay | Yes | E-wallet |
Baiduri Qpay
- QR code payment service
- Merchant payments
- Bank account linked
- Pre-tarusQR solution
DSTPay E-wallet
- Baiduri, DST, UnionPay partnership
- QR code scanning
- 30+ million merchants globally (via UnionPay)
- Local and international payments
Schemes
| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tarusQR | National QR | ndpx | Pilot | tarusqr |
| tarus | Instant payment | ndpx | Active (Q4 2024) | — |
| DSTPay/UnionPay | E-wallet | Partnership | 30M+ merchants | — |
Sources
- Biz Brunei - Digital Payment Hub
- tarus Official - Instant Payment
- Baiduri - Qpay
- VIXIO - National QR Standard
- The Scoop - tarus Phone Payments
- tarus - tarusQR
- UnionPay - DSTPay Launch
- BDCB - Digital Payments
- Transfi - Brunei Payment Rails
- Borneo Bulletin - Digital Payments
Full country report
Schemes
Standards
Primary · 1
Mentioned · 2