Digital payment interest soars as merchants embrace QR

Vietnam recorded a 175% increase in searches showing intent to offer electronic checkout options.

Merchant interest in accepting digital payments has increased across several Southeast Asian markets, led by Indonesia and Vietnam.

Searches showing an intention to accept digital payments rose 223% in Indonesia, 175% in Vietnam, 66% in the Philippines and 45% in Singapore, according to an analysis by Philippine fintech company PayMongo.

The study compared Google Trends data for the first half of 2026 with the same period in 2022 across Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Interest in newer e-wallet providers also increased. Searches related to Vietnam’s ZaloPay rose 115%. 

In the Philippines, Maya-related payment searches increased about 25 times from a low base in 2022, while GCash searches grew 35%. Searches for Dana for Business in Indonesia also rose 35%.

PayMongo said the findings showed that national QR systems are becoming the main entry point for merchants moving to digital payments.

The analysis was based on monthly Google Trends data from July 2021 to July 2026. 

Growth rates compared average monthly search interest from January to June 2026 with the same six-month period in 2022.

Google Trends measures relative interest on a scale of zero to 100 rather than actual search volumes. The figures can therefore be compared over time within each country, but not directly between countries.