2026-03-13 | Circular No. 2 of 2026The Central Bank of Sri Lanka issued the LANKAQR Specification V1.3 to standardize Quick Response code-based payments and peer-to-peer fund transfers within the country's financial ecosystem. This document defines technical customizations to the EMV QR Code Specification, mandating specific data objects such as transaction currency, merchant category codes, and convenience fee indicators for all financial institutions and mobile money operators. By enforcing these interoperability requirements, the regulation aims to enable secure, efficient, and cost-effective digital transactions for merchants and consumers.
Classification: Restricted External LANKAQR Specification Based on the EMV® QR Code Specification for Payment Systems (EMV QRCPS) - Merchant-Presented Mode - Version 1.1 – November 2020. Merchant Presented Mode and Peer-to-Peer Fund Transfers Mode Version 1.3 – January 2026 Payments and Settlements Department Central Bank of Sri Lanka
LANKAQR Specification 1 Classification: Restricted External VERSION CONTROL No Date Version Comments 1 09-Oct-2018 1.0 Issued by CBSL 2 30-Oct-2019 1.1 Updated the following sections: i. 1 – Data Object Under the Root of LANKAQR Code ii. 1.8 –Additional Data Field Templates Added the following sections: i. 1.3 – Merchant Category Code ii. 1.4 – Tip or Convenience Indicator iii. 1.5 – Value of Convenience Fee Fixed iv. 1.6 – Value of Convenience Fee Percentage 3 27-Nov-2020 1.2 Updated the following sections: i. 1.3 – Merchant Category Code 4 xx-Jan-2026 1.3 Updated the following sections; i. 1.2 – Merchant Account Information Root ii. 1.3 – Merchant Category Code iii. 1.7 – Merchant Account Information (Template) January
LANKAQR Specification 2 Classification: Restricted External TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................... 3 PURPOSE.................................................................................................................................................... 3 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 4 1 DATA OBJECT UNDER THE ROOT OF LANKAQR CODE ..................................................... 5 1.1. TRANSACTION CURRENCY .................................................................................................... 5 1.2. MERCHANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION (ROOT) ................................................................. 5 1.3. MERCHANT CATEGORY CODE .............................................................................................. 6 1.4. TIP OR CONVENIENCE INDICATOR ...................................................................................... 6 1.5. VALUE OF CONVENIENCE FEE FIXED ................................................................................. 6 1.6. VALUE OF CONVENIENCE FEE PERCENTAGE ................................................................... 7 1.7. MERCHANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION (TEMPLATE) ....................................................... 7 1.8. ADDITIONAL DATA FIELD TEMPLATES.............................................................................. 8 1.9. DATA OBJECTS – UNRESERVED TEMPLATES.................................................................... 8 2 SPECIFICATION – NETWORK FACILITATORS....................................................................... 8
LANKAQR Specification 3 Classification: Restricted External INTRODUCTION Quick Response (QR) code-based solutions, initiated using mobile devices, facilitate two distinct modes of transactions: (i) payments between a customer and a merchant, and (ii) fund transfers between a sender and a receiver. In the case of QR-based payments, customers can make purchases without the need to carry cash or payment cards, while merchants can accept payments without investing in high-cost Point-of-Sale (POS) devices. QR-based fund transfers, on the other hand, enable users to transfer funds conveniently and securely between accounts using mobile devices. The adoption of a standardized QR code within Sri Lanka’s payment ecosystem will bring significant benefits. Accordingly, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka is hereby issuing the LANKAQR Specification V1.3, a QR code standard aimed at promoting convenience, security and ensure interoperability of different payment mechanisms and instruments. By using this standardized QR code, financial institutions can enable both payments between customers and merchants and fund transfers between users in a secure, efficient and cost-effective manner. PURPOSE This document outlines the customizations to be applied to the EMV® QR Code Specification for Payment Systems to enable the implementation of LANKAQR. This specification shall be used by all Financial Institutions and Operators of Mobile Phone-based e-Money Systems when issuing LANKAQR codes to their Merchants/Users to facilitate LANKAQR code-based payments and/or fund transfers or by any other third party wishing to do so. [This section is left blank intentionally]
LANKAQR Specification 4 Classification: Restricted External REFERENCES EMV® QR Code Specification for Payment Systems (EMV QRCPS) - Merchant-Presented Mode - Version 1.1 – November 2020 [This section is left blank intentionally]
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LANKAQR Specification 6 Classification: Restricted External 1.3. MERCHANT CATEGORY CODE (ID – “52”) (As per ISO 18245 Standards) a. Issuance of LANKAQR codes to fuel stations shall carry the Merchant Category Code – “5542 - Automated fuel dispensers”. b. Issuance of LANKAQR codes to Government entities shall carry the Merchant Category Code – “9399 - Government services - not elsewhere classified”. c. Issuance of LANKAQR codes to religious establishments shall carry the Merchant Category Code – “8661 – Religious organisations”. d. Issuance of LANKAQR codes to accommodate person-to-person (P2) fund transfers shall carry the Merchant Category Code – “4829 - Money Orders & Wire Transfers”. 1.4. TIP OR CONVENIENCE INDICATOR (ID – “55”) a. A value of “01” shall be used if the mobile application should prompt the consumer to enter a tip to be paid to the merchant (Optional). b. A value of “02” shall be used to indicate inclusion of the data object Value of Convenience Fee Fixed (ID "56"). c. A value of “03” shall be used to indicate inclusion of the data object Value of Convenience Fee Percentage (ID “57”). Table 1.2 – Tip or Convenience Indicator Data Object Under the Root of LANKAQR Code Name ID Format Length Presence Tip or Convenience Indicator “55” N “02” C (based on CBSL issued regulations) N – Numeric C – Conditional 1.5. VALUE OF CONVENIENCE FEE FIXED (ID “56”) Applicable only if the data object Tip or Convenience Indicator (ID “55”) is present with a value of “02”. Table 1.3 – Value of Convenience Fee Fixed Data Object Under the Root of LANKAQR Code Name ID Format Length Presence Value of Convenience Fee Fixed “56” ans var. up to “13.” C (based on CBSL issued regulations) ans – Alphanumeric Special C – Conditional
LANKAQR Specification 7 Classification: Restricted External 1.6. VALUE OF CONVENIENCE FEE PERCENTAGE (ID “57”) Applicable only if the data object Tip or Convenience Indicator (ID "55") is present with a value of "03". Table 1.4 – Value of Convenience Fee Percentage Data Object Under the Root of LANKAQR Code Name ID Format Length Presence Value of Convenience Fee Percentage “57” ans var. up to “05.” C (based on CBSL issued regulations) ans – Alphanumeric Special C – Conditional 1.7. MERCHANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION (TEMPLATE) With reference to Table 4.2: Data Object ID Allocation in Merchant Account Information Template (IDs “26” to “51”) under EMV ® QR Code Specifications, the following IDs shall be present accordingly. Table 1.5 – Data Object ID Allocation in Merchant Account Information Template for LANKAQR Code Specification ID Meaning Format Length Presence Comment “80” Reserved for LankaPay S * O * O – Optional S – String *Refer to the respective Network Facilitator documents
8 LANKAQR Specification Classification: Restricted External 1.8. ADDITIONAL DATA FIELD TEMPLATES (ID – “62”) With reference to Table 3.7 – Data Objects for Additional Data Field Template (ID “62”) under EMV ® QR Code Specifications, the following IDs shall be present accordingly. Table 1.6 – Data Objects for Additional Data Field Template for LANKAQR Code Specification Name ID Format Length Presence Reference Label “05” ans var. up to “25.” M Reserved for LankaPay “60” S * O Reserved for LankaPay “61” S * O ans – Alphanumeric Special M – Mandatory O – Optional S – String *Refer to the respective Network Facilitator documents 1.9. DATA OBJECTS – UNRESERVED TEMPLATES (ID – “80”- “99”) With reference to Table 4.5 – Data Object ID Allocation in Unreserved Templates (IDs “80” to “99”) under EMV ® QR Code Specifications, the following IDs shall be present accordingly. Table 1.7 – Data Object IDAllocation in Unreserved Templatesfor LANKAQR Code Specification ID Meaning 80 Reserved for LankaPay 81 Reserved for LankaPay 2. SPECIFICATION – NETWORK FACILITATORS Please refer to the relevant Network Facilitators' specifications for further information.