Payment methods in Vanuatu

Oceania

7methods

3banks

Mobile financial services operate in silos: M-Vatu and MyCash/M-Pei cannot send money to each other or to bank accounts, a critical limitation.

Market takeaways

Mobile financial services operate in silos: M-Vatu and MyCash/M-Pei cannot send money to each other or to bank accounts, a critical limitation.
Vanuatu launched its national digital payments system in 2023.
Cross-border M-PAiSA transfers were enabled between Fiji and Vanuatu in 2023.
Cash is heavily dominant, particularly on outer islands where most of the population lives.
Vanuatu participated in the Pacific Regional Regulatory Sandbox initiative to encourage fintech innovation.

Population

0.33M

Online population

~0.15M

Banked population

~25%

Credit card population

<5%

Payment method breakdown

Cash78%
Mobile Money15%
Card5%
Bank Transfer2%

Card scheme breakdown

Market data coming soon.

Cross-border e-commerce

Market data coming soon.

Featured payment methods in Vanuatu

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.

BSP (Bank South Pacific) Mobile Banking

BSP Financial Group's banking services in Vanuatu, providing account management, debit cards, and basic digital banking for account holders. BSP is the primary commercial bank across multiple Pacific island nations.

M-Vatu (Vodafone Vanuatu)

Mobile money service operated by Vodafone Vanuatu. M-Vatu supports peer-to-peer transfers, airtime purchases, and merchant payments. Cross-border transfers with M-PAiSA (Fiji) were enabled in 2023, allowing transfers between Fiji and Vanuatu via mobile. However, M-Vatu operates in isolation from Vanuatu's MFS ecosystem and banking system.

MyCash (Digicel)

Digicel's Pacific mobile money platform operating in Tonga, enabling peer-to-peer transfers and cross-border payments to Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu. Supports mobile top-ups and basic merchant transactions.

ANZ Vanuatu

ANZ Bank operates in Vanuatu providing retail banking services, card issuance, and ATM infrastructure. Part of the regional correspondent banking protection initiative.

MyCash / M-Pei (Digicel Vanuatu)

Digicel's mobile money offering in Vanuatu, operating under the Pacific-wide MyCash brand. Supports transfers and airtime top-ups for Digicel subscribers. Like M-Vatu, it operates in a silo and cannot transact with the other MFS providers or bank accounts.