What Is DuitNow QR?

DuitNow QR is Malaysia's national QR code payment standard, operated by PayNet (Payments Network Malaysia). One QR code lets a business accept payment from any participating bank app or e-wallet, such as Maybank, Touch 'n Go eWallet, or GrabPay. The customer scans, the money moves in real time, and the merchant sees it instantly. It is free for the customer to use, launched in 2019, and now handles hundreds of millions of payments a year.

How does DuitNow QR work?

DuitNow QR works by turning one standard QR code into a shared entry point for every participating payment app. A merchant displays the code, whether printed on a sticker or shown on a screen at checkout.

The customer opens any supported banking app or e-wallet, scans the code, and confirms the amount. Money then moves in real time from their bank account or wallet to the merchant.

Behind the scenes, the code follows the EMVCo QR standard, the same international specification used by QR payment systems worldwide. That shared format is what lets so many different apps read one code.

For an online store, the same rail can appear at checkout as a scannable code, so a shopper pays from their phone without typing card details.

What makes DuitNow QR "national" and interoperable?

DuitNow QR is called national because it replaced a mess of separate, incompatible QR codes with a single one. Before it, each wallet had its own code, and a merchant needed a different sticker for each app they wanted to accept.

PayNet runs it under Bank Negara Malaysia's framework for shared payment infrastructure. Bank Negara's own words are that "merchants can accept payments from customers using different e-wallet accounts through a unified QR code" (Bank Negara Malaysia, Annual Report 2023).

The scale shows the effect. In 2023, DuitNow QR processed 360 million transactions worth RM14.6 billion, up from 125 million transactions worth RM5.5 billion in 2022 (Bank Negara Malaysia, Annual Report 2023).

For a business, interoperability is the whole point. You display one code and accept nearly every bank and wallet your customers already use, instead of managing many.

In our experience, owners fixate on how a checkout looks and overlook whether it offers the payment methods Malaysians actually reach for. That choice does more to decide whether a sale completes than any visual detail.

How is DuitNow QR different from FPX?

DuitNow QR and FPX are both PayNet payment rails, but they suit different moments. DuitNow QR is a scan-to-pay method built for phones, while FPX moves money by logging into online banking.

	DuitNow QR	FPX
How you pay	Scan a QR with a bank app or e-wallet	Log in to online banking at checkout
Best for	In-person and mobile payments	Website checkout, often on a computer
Draws from	Bank account or e-wallet	Bank account
Operator	PayNet	PayNet

Neither is better in general; they cover different habits. A cafe or a market stall leans on DuitNow QR, while a website taking larger orders often offers FPX alongside cards.

Most Malaysian payment gateways now support both, so an online store can offer QR and bank transfer from the same checkout.

What does DuitNow QR cost a business?

DuitNow QR is free for the customer, but a business accepting it pays a small fee per transaction. The fee is a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), set by the payment provider you sign up through, not a single fixed national rate.

Bank Negara has kept this MDR low on purpose. Its policy is that the rate sits at or below what merchants pay for a MyDebit debit-card transaction, with preferential rates for smaller merchants.

For an online store, DuitNow QR usually reaches you through a payment gateway, bundled with cards and FPX. The gateway sets the exact rate, so the fee you actually pay depends on your provider and plan rather than on DuitNow QR itself.

One point of confusion is worth clearing up. A RM0.50 charge that some people mention applies only to personal transfers above RM5,000 between individuals, not to paying a merchant.

Frequently asked questions

Is DuitNow QR the same as an e-wallet?

No. DuitNow QR is a shared payment standard, while an e-wallet like Touch 'n Go or GrabPay is one app that can pay through it. Think of the QR code as a universal socket, and the wallets and bank apps as different plugs that all fit it. That is why one code works for so many apps.

Do I need a merchant account to accept DuitNow QR?

Yes, in effect. You register through a bank or a payment provider, which gives you a merchant QR code and settles the money into your account. For an online store, this usually comes bundled inside a payment gateway rather than set up on its own. The provider handles the connection to the DuitNow network.

Can my website accept DuitNow QR at checkout?

Yes. Most Malaysian payment gateways offer DuitNow QR as a checkout option alongside cards and FPX, showing the shopper a scannable code. It suits mobile shoppers who would rather scan than type card numbers. Setup is the same as adding any other payment method through your gateway.

How is DuitNow QR different from DuitNow?

DuitNow is the wider family of instant-transfer services run by PayNet, and DuitNow QR is the QR-code method within it. Plain DuitNow also lets you send money using someone's phone number or business registration number as their account ID. DuitNow QR is specifically the scan-to-pay part, aimed at shops and online stores.

Is DuitNow QR safe to use?

DuitNow QR is operated under Bank Negara Malaysia's regulated payment framework, and payments run through your existing bank or e-wallet security. The main risk is the same as any QR system: a fake code stuck over a real one in a physical shop. Online, the code is generated by your gateway at checkout, so that swap risk does not apply.

Adding the right payments to your store

Storming Solutions builds and maintains websites for Malaysian businesses, and setting up the right local payment methods is part of building a store that actually converts. DuitNow QR and FPX are usually the two Malaysian shoppers expect to see.

Wondering which payment methods your site should offer? Ask on WhatsApp or read our guide to online payments in Malaysia first, then talk to us about web development. We will set up a checkout that takes the methods your customers already use.