This research aims to thoroughly investigate the extent to which financial technology and the Indonesian Standard Quick Response Code (QRIS) service influence the overall effectiveness and efficiency of payment systems utilized by Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating within the bustling and dynamic environment of Medan City's Car Free Day (CFD) zone. The study employs a comprehensive quantitative research methodology, meticulously collecting data through carefully designed questionnaires distributed directly to MSME owners and operators who conduct their business activities in the CFD area. To ensure the relevance and accuracy of the sample, purposive sampling techniques were utilized, resulting in a total of 84 participants who met specific criteria related to their engagement with digital payment systems and QRIS usage. The responses obtained from these questionnaires were measured using a Likert scale, allowing for nuanced analysis of respondents’ perceptions and experiences, and the data were then processed and analyzed using the latest version of IBM SPSS Statistics (version 29), ensuring rigorous statistical testing and validity. The findings from the analysis reveal compelling evidence that financial technology services have a positive and statistically significant influence on the effectiveness of the payment systems employed by MSMEs, with a t-value of 4.822 and a p-value less than 0.05, indicating strong significance. Similarly, the implementation and utilization of QRIS services also demonstrate a positive and significant impact, with an even higher t-value of 10.238 and a p-value below 0.05, underscoring QRIS as the most influential variable among those examined. When considering both variables collectively, the results show that financial technology and QRIS services together exert a highly significant and positive effect on payment system effectiveness, as evidenced by the F-statistic of 166.846 and a p-value less than 0.05. The coefficient of determination (R²) is calculated to be 0.805, meaning that approximately 80.5 % of the variation observed in the effectiveness of payment systems can be attributed to these two key independent variables, while the remaining 19.5 % of the variation could be explained by external factors not directly measured within this study.