The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced the issuance and implementation of the Kenya Quick Response Code Standard 2023 (KE-QR Code Standard 2023) for digital payments.

CBK announced the development during its official launch at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi on Wednesday morning.

The Kenyan QR Code Standard will guide how Payment Service Providers and banks issue Quick Response (QR) Codes to consumers and businesses that accept digital payments.

"The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), today, announces the issuance and implementation of the Kenya Quick Response Code Standard 2023 (KE-QR Code Standard 2023; or the Standard)," the statement read.

"The Standard will guide how Payment Service Providers and banks (institutions) that are regulated by the CBK will issue Quick Response (QR) Codes to consumers and businesses that accept digital payments."

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According to the CBK, the  implementation of the Standard, and use of standardized QR Code-enabled payments, will bring practical benefits to businesses and customers.

Customers will now be able to make digital payments in an easy, fast, convenient, and secure manner using QR.

Previously, customers had to manually input different payment codes and numbers, hence creating friction and cumbersome payment processes that are prone to errors.

In addition to these benefits, the Standard will promote inclusion by enabling institutions of various sizes and customer focus to increase adoption digital payments.

In the long-term, use of standardized QR Codes will facilitate the launch of innovative products and deepen the benefits already enjoyed by customers making payments across various institutions and mobile money networks (interoperability).

The Standard, which is based on the EMVCO QR Code Specification, has been developed through collaboration between CBK, Payment Service Providers, banks, card schemes, among others.

The Standard will be rolled out in phases as players align their operations to the requirements set out in the Standard while increasing customer awareness.

The Strategy was launched in February 2022 to, among other things, support the adoption of key standards and align Kenya’s National Payment System to global best practice.

With the launch of the QR Standard, Kenya joins other leading markets across the globe that have implemented the standardized approach to issuing QR codes for facilitating payments.

These countries include Philippines, Jordan, South Africa, Singapore, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, India, and China.