What happened
Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), one of Indonesia's state-owned banks, said it is prepared to process digital payments of Bali's foreign tourist levy, known locally as PWA. President director Nixon Napitupulu announced the move in Denpasar on Friday, 9 October 2026.
This is an early stage. BTN signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bali Tourism Board (BTB), an umbrella body for the island's tourism associations, and with a private firm that has built technology systems for the travel industry. The firm was not named. A memorandum sets out intentions. It is not yet a working payment service.
What the partnership covers
Beyond the levy, the parties plan two more strands of work. One is a digital app for the BTB cooperative ecosystem. The other is joint promotion of Bali destinations.
Napitupulu framed the deal around the reach of tourism. In his view the sector matters because it touches so many other kinds of business. On Bali that means transport, accommodation, retail and small enterprises, which Indonesia groups as UMKM (micro, small and medium businesses). The bank therefore sees the island as a strategic market for banking services tied to everyday economic activity.
BTN is also expanding elsewhere on the island. It is broadening its cooperation with the regional market company Perumda Pasar Argha Nayottama in Buleleng, including on digitising transactions at traditional markets. It is also broadening cooperation with the managers of Penglipuran tourist village in Bangli on banking services, small business support and sustainable development of the area.
How much the levy brings in
The levy is Rp150,000 per person and has applied since 14 February 2024. According to the Bali provincial government, it raised Rp235 billion between January and August 2026.
Over the whole of 2025 the total was Rp369 billion. That figure corresponds to 35.4% of foreign arrivals, out of nearly 7 million foreign visitors who came to Bali that year. Put simply, roughly two in three visitors did not pay. That gap is why new payment channels matter to the province.
The legal basis
The levy was created by provincial regulation Perda Bali No. 6 of 2023 and later updated by Perda Bali No. 2 of 2025. A Perda is a regional law, and this one applies to every foreign visitor entering the island.
Under the regulation, the money is meant to protect Bali's culture and natural environment. The visitor pays, not the hotel or the villa owner. The BTN memorandum does not create any new obligations for property owners.
The tourism industry's view
BTB chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said he hopes the cooperation delivers economic benefits to local people. He argued that visitor numbers alone can no longer measure success.
What also counts, he said, is the quality of the guest experience, higher economic value, protection of culture and the environment, and the wellbeing of communities. His remarks echo the provincial push toward quality tourism over volume.
What it means for the market
For visitors, a digital channel run by a large bank could make paying easier. For the province, it is a chance to raise the share of people who actually pay. No launch date or payment method has been announced.
Villa and hotel owners face no direct new duties. Still, the levy remains a priority for the authorities, and guests are likely to ask about it when they book. Clear information in guest materials avoids confusion at check-in.