A partnership between Vodafone Fiji and Lotus Foreign Exchange witnessed the expansion of Fiji-based M-PAISA money transfer across the borders in Auckland on September 9, hours before the Rugby World Cup kicked off at Eden Park.
Gisborne based Fiji rugby player Apisalome Ratuniyarawa launched the facility by sending a M-PAISA text through a mobile phone to his village in Fiji, in the presence of Fiji based UN and UNDP Coordinator Knut Ostby.
The subdued beep of mobile phone’s text message sent from Lotus Foreign Exchange store in the heart of Auckland city to Bai’s retail store in Vunidawa, a remote village in Naitasiri Province in Fiji created history, aiming to be a milestone in money transfer to other countries.
Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum was present in Vunidawa.
“The Reserve Bank of Fiji has evaluated and tested this service against the backdrop of its payments systems and foreign exchange market rules and objectives,” Mr Khaiyum told waiting reporters.
The money transferred was donated to the Vunidawa District School and the Vunidawa Indian School as a goodwill measure.
Mr Ratuniyarawa said that the new service would benefit many Fijians like him.
“This opportunity will see many people sending money home without hassles. People in rural areas would not have to travel far to cash,” he said.
Resident UNDP Coordinator Knut Ostby said the cost of remittance was a major concern.
Lotus Foreign Exchange Managing Director Pravin Kumar, who was in Naitasiri for the launch, allayed the fears, saying that the cost of transfer was among the lowest in the market.
