The South African Reserve Bank has published version 1.2 of the QR+ Standard under the Payments Ecosystem Modernisation Programme, updating its framework for interoperable digital payment initiation across QR codes, barcodes and digital links. The main change is a set of enhancements to support integration with the PayShap payment rail, strengthening QR+ alignment with domestic real-time payment capabilities. At the center of the update is the introduction of the PayShap payload, which enables structured data exchange between the QR+ application programming interface and the underlying payment rail. QR+ does not execute payments itself, but transfers standardized payment initiation data to the selected rail for processing. More broadly, the standard is intended to support interoperability across payment service providers, payment rails and stores of value, reducing market fragmentation and enabling more consistent payment experiences for consumers and merchants. The new version also supports expanded use cases, including richer payer-presented experiences. The QR+ Standard is expected to continue evolving through industry participation, simulator testing and the addition of further payment schemes and use cases as the ecosystem matures. The South African Reserve Bank also intends to promote interoperability through additional technical standards and rules.
South African Reserve Bank2026-07-07
South African Reserve Bank publishes QR+ Standard version 1.2 to support PayShap integration
The South African Reserve Bank has issued version 1.2 of the QR+ Standard, adding enhancements to support integration with the PayShap payment rail. The update introduces a PayShap payload for structured data exchange between the QR+ API and the underlying rail, while QR+ remains a payment initiation layer rather than the payment execution mechanism. The standard will continue to develop through industry participation, testing and additional schemes and use cases.