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Payments/VU

Vanuatu

ISO VU · 3 schemes

Summary

  • M-Vatu first QR in Vanuatu (Vodafone)
  • MyCash Digicel #1 wallet
  • Two MNOs mobile money providers
  • Siloed systems not connected
  • UNCDF development support

Banking landscape

Central Bank

  • Name: Reserve Bank of Vanuatu
  • Website: https://www.rbv.gov.vu/
  • Role: Monetary policy, financial regulation

Major Banks (2024)

Rank Bank Name Type Digital Platform
1 ANZ Vanuatu International ANZ App
2 BSP Vanuatu Regional BSP App
3 National Bank of Vanuatu Local NBV Mobile
4 Bred Bank French Bred App

Market Structure

  • Cash dominant: Primary method
  • Two MNOs: Digicel, Vodafone
  • MyCash/M-Vatu: Mobile money
  • Siloed: Not interoperable

Payment infrastructure

National Payment Systems

System Operator Type Status
MyCash Digicel Mobile money Active
M-Vatu Vodafone Mobile money Active
Bank transfers Banks Wire Active
Card networks Visa/MC Cards Limited

Mobile Money Providers

  • MyCash (Digicel) - 2018/19 relaunch
  • M-Vatu (Vodafone) - 2019 launch
  • First QR: Vodafone M-Vatu
  • Not interoperable with banks

UNCDF Support

  • Agent network building
  • Viability improvements
  • Financial inclusion focus
  • Three critical challenges

QR code standards

M-Vatu QR (First)

Attribute Value
Provider Vodafone
Feature First QR in Vanuatu
Partners Utilities, schools, merchants
Status Active

MyCash QR

Attribute Value
Provider Digicel
Feature Scan to Pay
Claim #1 digital wallet
App-only QR features

QR Payment Flow

  • Merchant QR displayed
  • Customer scans code
  • Amount entered
  • Payment confirmed
  • App-based only

Mobile payment apps

App Provider QR Features
MyCash Digicel Yes Full wallet
M-Vatu Vodafone Yes Full wallet
NBV Mobile NBV Limited Banking

MyCash Features

  • QR Pay (fast, reliable, safe)
  • P2P transfers
  • Bill payments
  • Agent services
  • Transaction tracking

M-Vatu Features

  • First QR in Vanuatu
  • Utility payments
  • School fees
  • Merchant payments
  • Supermarkets enabled

Schemes

Scheme Type Symbology Adoption Technical standard
MyCash QR Mobile Digicel #1 wallet mycash
M-Vatu QR Mobile Vodafone First QR m-vatu
Bank transfers Wire Banks Active

Sources

Full country report

VU-vanuatu.md

Schemes

Standards

source · docs/payments/VU/index.md