Myanmar Payment Systems Explained: CBM-NET, ACH & MyanmarPay

Myanmar's central bank took a consolidated approach to payment infrastructure: rather than separate institutions running separate systems, nearly everything runs through CBM-NET, a single platform operated directly by the Central Bank of Myanmar, with distinct functions for large-value real-time settlement, batch clearing of smaller payments, and — as of 2025 — a national QR standard sitting on top of both. For any business moving MMK, understanding CBM-NET's internal split, and the regulator-set value thresholds that route a transaction one way or the other, is essential.

The short version

Myanmar's core payment infrastructure runs almost entirely through CBM-NET, operated by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM):

• CBM-NET RTGS (FTS) — the real-time gross settlement function, for large-value and time-critical transfers.
• CBM-NET ACH — the Automated Clearing House function, for smaller, high-volume payments processed on a deferred net settlement basis.
• MyanmarPay (MMQR) — the national standardized QR code payment system, launched February 2025, which interoperates across banks and mobile financial service providers via a central Digital Payment Switch.
• Myanmar Payment Union (MPU) — the domestic card scheme, connecting ATM, POS, and e-commerce card transactions through its own switching platform.

CBM-NET's RTGS function — real-time, gross, for large and urgent payments

CBM-NET began operation in January 2016 and was upgraded to CBM-NET2 in November 2020 with support from Japan's JICA. Its RTGS function (formally the Funds Transfer Service, or FTS) settles payment instructions individually, on a gross basis, in real time — the same core RTGS principle used across the region — and its use is mandatory above any value threshold the CBM designates from time to time.

• Settlement type: Real-time gross settlement (RTGS) — individual, immediate
• Speed: Immediate, with 24/7 domestic kyat remittance capability introduced as part of the CBM-NET2 upgrade
• Value tier: Currently, transactions of 10 million kyats or more must be processed through CBM-NET's dedicated B2B/RTGS function (per the CBM's June 2024 transaction limit update)
• What it's used for: Large-value and time-critical interbank transfers, government treasury bond and bill settlement, bulk payroll transfers, and automatic tax/utility bill withdrawals

CBM-NET's ACH function — batch clearing for smaller payments

CBM-NET's Automated Clearing House function handles the smaller-value side of the same platform, processing payments on a deferred net settlement (DNS) basis rather than gross, individual settlement — obligations are netted and settled between participants' accounts at defined points rather than transaction-by-transaction.

• Settlement type: Deferred net settlement (DNS), netted at designated times
• Speed: Not instant at the interbank level, though many mobile banking flows built on top of it feel fast to end users
• Value tier: Per the CBM's June 2024 update, mobile banking P2P and government payments up to 10 million kyats route through the ACH function; person-to-person payments specifically are capped at 1 million kyats per transaction (5 million kyats daily), and person-to-merchant payments at 10 million kyats daily
• What it's used for: Everyday mobile banking transfers, P2P payments, person-to-merchant payments below the RTGS threshold

MyanmarPay (MMQR) — the national QR standard, live since February 2025

MMQR, branded MyanmarPay, is Myanmar's standardized, EMV-based QR code payment system, developed by the CBM to replace a previously fragmented landscape where banks and mobile wallets each ran proprietary QR formats. It's built around a central Digital Payment Switch, operated by PayPlus Co Ltd under CBM ownership and oversight, connecting banks, mobile financial service providers (including KBZPay, AYA Pay, OK$, and Wave Money), and merchant payment service providers into a single interoperable network.

• Settlement type: Interoperability/switching layer; underlying settlement flows through CBM-NET's RTGS or ACH functions depending on value
• Speed: Real-time from the user's perspective for QR-based payments
• What it's used for: Merchant QR payments across any participating bank or wallet — since launch in February 2025 through January 2026, MMQR recorded over 30 million transactions worth more than MMK 12.7 trillion, reaching over 420,000 merchants and 24 million users

Myanmar Payment Union (MPU) — the domestic card scheme

Separate from CBM-NET and MMQR, the Myanmar Payment Union operates the country's domestic card scheme, switching ATM, POS, and e-commerce card transactions. It complements rather than replaces CBM-NET and MMQR, giving Myanmar three distinct but interoperating pillars: CBM-NET as the core interbank settlement infrastructure, MPU for card-based transactions, and MMQR for unified QR-based retail payments.

Comparison at a glance

What this means if you're moving money in and out of Myanmar

The single most important practical detail for anyone building payment flows in Myanmar is the CBM's explicit, regularly-updated value thresholds: transactions of 10 million kyats or more must route through CBM-NET's RTGS/B2B function, while everyday P2P and merchant payments below that threshold flow through the ACH function, with P2P specifically capped at 1 million kyats per transaction. These aren't soft guidelines — they're regulator-mandated routing rules, and the CBM has changed them before (most recently in June 2024), so building payment logic around a hardcoded threshold without periodic verification is a real operational risk.

MyanmarPay's rapid adoption since its February 2025 launch — 24 million users and 420,000 merchants within roughly a year — makes it the most relevant point of entry for anyone building consumer-facing QR payment acceptance in Myanmar today.