Less than half of Fijians with formal financial accounts and internet access have signed up for internet banking, despite widespread access to digital connectivity, according to the Fiji Financial Services Demand Side Survey 2025.
The survey found that 74 per cent of formal financial account holders have access to the internet, with mobile data accounting for 89 per cent of connections.
However, only 41 per cent of those with internet access had signed up for internet banking.
The survey identified a lack of awareness about the availability of internet banking services and uncertainty about how to use them as key barriers to uptake.
Despite relatively low registration, usage among those who have adopted internet banking is high.
The survey found that 87 per cent of people who had signed up for internet banking had used the service during the previous 12 months.
There is also significant potential for further growth, with 44 per cent of current non-users indicating they would be interested in using internet banking or a mobile banking application in the future, particularly for paying bills and transferring money.
The findings also reveal differences in access to and use of payment cards.
Sixty-eight per cent of Fijians with formal financial accounts have some form of payment card, while 67 per cent have a local debit card.
Among people who personally own a bank account, local debit card ownership increases to 83 per cent.
Women are significantly less likely than men to own local debit cards, with ownership recorded at 61 per cent for women compared with 72 per cent for men.
Card usage also differs between men and women.
Local debit cards are used an average of 3.1 times during a typical month, increasing to 3.4 times among male cardholders and falling to 2.7 times among women.
International debit cards remain considerably less common, with just 12 per cent of formal financial account holders owning one.
Ownership is higher among young people, urban residents and university-educated Fijians. The survey found 33 per cent of university-educated respondents had an international debit card.
Credit card penetration remains particularly low, with only three per cent of Fijians with formal financial accounts owning one.
The survey also identified a shift in the types of cards being used by banked Fijians since 2020.
Local debit card ownership among banked Fijians has fallen from 94 per cent in 2020 to 83 per cent in 2025.
In contrast, international debit card ownership increased from three per cent to 14 per cent, while credit card ownership rose from one per cent to four per cent among banked Fijians.
The findings indicate that while internet connectivity and access to formal financial services are relatively widespread, further work is required to improve awareness and adoption of digital banking services.
