Payment methods in Kiribati

Oceania

4methods

2banks

Cash (Australian dollars) is the primary payment method across most of Kiribati.

Market takeaways

Cash (Australian dollars) is the primary payment method across most of Kiribati.
Kiribati uses the Australian dollar alongside the Kiribati dollar, both at a 1:1 peg.
Kiribati joined the World Bank regional Pacific banking protection project alongside Fiji, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
ADB supports Kiribati under the Pacific sub-regional program (SPSO), covering Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Banking infrastructure is very limited outside South Tarawa, the capital.

Population

0.12M

Online population

~0.03M

Banked population

~20%

Credit card population

<5%

Payment method breakdown

Cash90%
Card5%
Mobile/Digital3%
Bank Transfer2%

Card scheme breakdown

Market data coming soon.

Cross-border e-commerce

Market data coming soon.

Featured payment methods in Kiribati

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group)

ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) is a major regional bank operating across the Pacific. It provides retail and commercial banking, debit/credit cards, ATMs, and internet/mobile banking to account holders in Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Samoa.

Bank of Kiribati

Bank of Kiribati (an ANZ-affiliated institution) is a primary commercial bank in Kiribati, offering accounts, cards and ATM access. Kiribati uses the Australian dollar.

International Remittance Services

Western Union and MoneyGram operate in FSM to facilitate remittances from the FSM diaspora in Guam, Hawaii, and the US mainland. Remittances are important given high emigration rates due to the Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Cash (AUD)

Australian dollars are the dominant currency in Tuvalu, accepted alongside the Tuvaluan dollar (pegged 1:1 to AUD). Physical cash is used in virtually all commercial transactions given the near-total absence of digital payment infrastructure.