Businesses in Fiji have been slow in embracing online payments, states the National E-Commerce Assessment for Fiji report.

The report stated mobile money had the potential to bridge a significant gap by enabling the population to use online payments for E-Commerce transactions.

“However, there has been a very slow uptake from businesses which have only shown interest in the last five years. “Online payment gateways have not taken off.

“Each commercial bank carries out its own bilateral switches.

“Foreign exchange controls remain in place, making it more cumbersome for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to be engaged in international trade.”

The report suggested that Fiji promote the use of digital financial services such as mobile money, especially in rural areas.

The report also recommended:

•  the encouragement of arrangements to foster interoperability among all payment service providers, either via bilateral agreements, implementation of the Interchange Networks Act which was adopted in Parliament in 2017, or substituting the National Payments Systems Bill.
• banks be incentivised to review credit card policies and consider reviewing the surcharge on credit card payments.
• continued promotion of the use of cards, internet banking and mobile money for E-Commerce transactions.
• achieving full implementation of the National Switch Bill to ensure interoperability between commercial banks.

The report was commissioned as an independent consultancy report at the initiative of the Government of Fiji, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat.