Pilot

The pilot phase of tarus is a pivotal stage, focusing on real-world testing and refinement:

• Functionality Testing: Real-money transactions are conducted in a live environment, involving selected users. This step ensures that instant payment functions operate smoothly and reliably.
• Application Testing: Validates interaction between tarus and participating banks and e-wallet applications.
• Issue Resolution: Teething issues are identified and addressed promptly. This aims to resolve any operational or technical challenges, ensuring a seamless transition to full-scale launch. Internal operations are refined to guarantee confidentiality, integrity and availability.

By carefully testing functionalities and swiftly addressing emerging issues, the pilot phase lays the groundwork for a successful launch.

Phase 1: Launch of tarus

The first phase of the tarus launch marks a significant milestone, ushering in convenient and efficient fund transfer capabilities:

• tarus Transfer: Users gain the ability to seamlessly send and receive funds instantly via aliases (phone numbers and business registration number) between participating banks and e-wallets. This feature empowers users with swift and convenient payment options, enhancing financial accessibility.

Through this, the launch phase heralds a new era of convenience, speed, and accessibility in the realm of digital finance.

Phase 2 Implementation

The launch of tarusQR marks another milestone in Brunei's digital payments journey, enabling interoperable QR code payments across participating banks and e-wallets through the National QR Code Standard.

• Interoperable QR Payments: Customers can make QR code payments using their preferred participating banking or e-wallet application, providing a seamless payment experience across the tarus ecosystem.
• Merchant Acceptance: Merchants are able to accept interoperable QR payments from customers of participating banks and e-wallets, supporting wider digital payment acceptance.
• Secure and Reliable Transactions: Payments are processed securely and efficiently through the tarus infrastructure, ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability while delivering a fast and reliable payment experience.

By enabling interoperable QR payments, tarusQR strengthens Brunei's national payment infrastructure and supports the continued growth of a connected, convenient and inclusive digital payments ecosystem.

Phase 2 Implementation

• Request to Pay: Functionalities focused on Request to Pay (Pull payments) – a service enabling users to generate digital payment requests for collecting funds from payers, facilitated by participating banks and e-wallets.
• Expanded Merchant Acceptance Nationwide: Continued efforts to broaden merchant participation across Brunei by encouraging adoption of tarusQR among businesses of all sizes. This initiative aims to provide customers with more opportunities to make interoperable digital payments while supporting merchants in embracing a cashless payment experience.
• More Participating Banks and Financial Institutions: Ongoing onboarding of additional banks, e-wallets and other licensed financial institutions into the tarus ecosystem. Expanding participation strengthens interoperability, increases payment accessibility, and provides consumers and businesses with greater choice when making and receiving digital payments.
• Cross Border Payments: ndpx is exploring partnerships with regional payment providers to enable seamless cross-border transactions, allowing Brunei consumers to pay in neighbouring countries and vice versa using existing banking apps and e-wallets.