FIJI National Provident Fund (FNPF) chief investment officer Naibuka Saune has been appointed the chairperson for the board of directors of the newly- established Digital Financial Services Pte Limited (DFS) – a new legal entity that has assumed full ownership, operational control and management of all aspects of the M-PAiSA business.
DFS is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Fiji.
Mr Saune has been a described as a business leader with an excellent track record across multiple leading companies in Fiji and the region, helping deliver significant portfolio and organisational change as part of transformations into focused, growth-driven and sustainable businesses.
The former Merchant Finance chief executive specialises in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, investment management, strategy, and direct funds management.
He had previously worked for Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH) as head of Mergers and Acquisitions, investment consultant with the FNPF and at various financial firms in Sydney, Australia specialising in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate advisory services with a focus on the small to medium market across Australia.
Mr Saune holds a Doctor in Philosophy (PhD) in Accounting (Financial and Capital Markets Research) from the University of Technology in Sydney, a Master of Philosophy in Accounting (Financial and Capital Markets Research) from the University of New South Wales, and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of the South Pacific.
He also serves as non-executive director in companies in Fiji and the region and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Also serving on the DFS board as directors are Krishna Raju and Pradeep Lal and Kishan Ram as company secretary.
DFS came into effect on April 25 in compliance with the National Payment System Act 2021 following the formal licensing of the M-PAiSA platform as a payment service provider (PSP) by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF).
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Note: This article was first published under the headline: Saune heads new DFS board in Page 20 of the print version of The Fiji Times dated Saturday, October 18, 2025
