A newly released standard for QR code payments could make it easier for consumers and merchants to use instant payments, says the Accredited Standards Committee X9 Inc. X9 is a nonprofit organization that develops and maintains national and international standards for the financial-services industry.

The new standard, officially called X9.150, Merchant-Presented QR Codes for Secure Payment, will allow every bank or merchant app with a QR code reader or generator to be used for secure payments with anyone, anywhere in the United States, X9 says. It could be especially helpful in making account-to-account payments. Work on the X9.150 standard began in 2024. X9 says approximately 45 million instant payments are made each month in the United States, compared with eight billion in Brazil.

There has been no standard for secure merchant-generated QR codes in the U.S. prior to this new standard, the committee says. That has meant little interoperability among businesses and financial networks, likely stymieing use. The X9.150 standard provides a common framework for financial institutions and payment providers to determine the most appropriate payment method, the committee says.

This type of QR code is distinct from ones that navigate a user to a URL, X9 says. “Unlike URL QR codes, payment QR codes must be scanned from within an authenticated mobile app (e.g., that of a bank, credit union or merchant wallet) where the user has logged in and the application itself is recognized as an authorized client. This ensures that both the payer and the application making the request are trusted before the protected payment payload can be accessed,” X9 says in a statement.

The new X9.150 standard defines the structure, content, and security requirements for merchant-presented QR codes for initiating push payments. A major benefit of the standard is that the same QR code can initiate payment across different account-based payment methods, which means merchants do not need to support separate payment protocols for each network.

“Businesses want to get paid faster while making it as simple as possible for consumers to pay. This standard creates a foundation for delivering both. As adoption grows, businesses will be able to offer a consistent payment experience while financial institutions retain the flexibility to choose the payment networks that best serve their customers,” says Sarah Hoisington, chair of the X9.150 Work Group and general manager, North America at Matera, a specialist in QR code payment tech, in a statement.