THE Reserve Bank of Fiji Financial Inclusion Report 2024 reveals a dramatic surge in active mobile money (MM) usage among Fijian adults since 2021, though recent data points to a fluctuating and, in some cases, widening gender gap.
The report, covering the period from 2019 to 2024, shows that the percentage of adult men with an active mobile money account skyrocketed from 25.4per cent in 2019 to a peak of 98.7per cent in 2023, before settling at 73.6per cent in the projected 2024 figures.
A similar, though less volatile, upward trend was seen among women, rising from 22.9per cent in 2019 to a perfect 100per cent in 2021, with a 2024 projection of 64.4per cent.
This growth has fundamentally shifted the landscape of financial access in the country.
A deeper look into the activity levels of those already registered for mobile money services provides further nuance. The overall activity rate has improved significantly, from 44per cent in 2019 to a projected 64.2per cent in 2024.
When broken down by gender, the data shows that women who are registered have historically been, and are projected to continue being, slightly more active users than their male counterparts.
In 2024, 64.8per cent of registered women are active, compared to 63.6per cent of men.
