QR-code payments will become available to customers of all banks in Belarus starting December 1, 2026. This was announced by Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus, in an interview with the magazine "Bankauski vesnik," as reported by BelTA.

"The development of the national payment system, its technological independence and resilience is our absolute priority. We are consistently moving toward ensuring that the country's payment infrastructure meets the most modern requirements, is convenient for people, and reliable in any situation. The key project in this area is the 'KROK' service (QR-code payment processing). This is not just another payment service, but a fully-fledged sovereign alternative to international payment systems, built entirely by domestic specialists on the national payment infrastructure. The instant payment system has been modernized, and all the necessary software has been developed and integrated into ERIP. It is important to emphasize: everything — from the architecture to the final code — was created in Belarus," said Roman Golovchenko.

In December 2025, banks participating in the focus group carried out pilot payments. "The system is operating stably. We have already moved from the pilot phase to scaling. Clear deadlines have been set for connecting all banks: starting July 1, 2026, banks in significance group I will join the service, and from December 1, 2026, QR-code payments through 'KROK' will become available to customers of all banks in the country," noted the head of the National Bank.

According to him, in the future it is planned to unify disparate payment QR services into a single seamless ecosystem, where payments will be processed instantly and securely regardless of which bank or app is used to make them. New payment scenarios will be added, functionality expanded, and opportunities for business broadened. "The key principle will remain unchanged: all solutions being developed operate on our own infrastructure and national developments," Roman Golovchenko emphasized.