Finance Ministry introduces payment via QR code

BANGKOK, Sept 11 (TNA) -- Finance Ministry is the first ministry to introduce QR code-based payment to facilitate payment for food and beverages via the KTB netbank. Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong and the ministry's senior officials launched the electronic payment service at the canteen of the Finance Ministry. The payment is facilitated with a QR code on the KTB netbank application software. Sellers must subscribe with the PromptPay service and attach the QR code to receive payment to their bank accounts. Conveniences result from freedom from the reception of cash and changes. Buyers do not need cash but only scan the QR code of shops and identify amounts and PIN to confirm their purchase. The Krungthai QR code service offered a promotion of paying only four baht for any food between 11am and 1pm on Sept 11. Krungthai Bank plans to expand the service to other areas including Soi Aree. Chatchai Payuhanaveechai, president of Government Savings Bank, said the bank already launched the same service and had 10,000 shops using it. Its system would be ready to accept credit and debit cards of all banks in October. The bank plans to raise the number of subscribed shops from 10,000 to 50,000 and expects to increase the number of subscribed consumers to 2 million this year. The Bank of Thailand is considering cutting fees for the service to attract consumers. (TNA)