ANZ has announced it will waive all merchant fees for transactions under $10 using a Visa Debit Card from any bank in Fiji.

ANZ Fiji Country Head, Saud Minam says COVID-19 has been a tipping point for many retailers when it comes to contactless payments.

Instead of being a nice-to-have, contactless payments are a necessity because touching cash and point-of-sale keypads can be a potential source of transmission.

Minam says this comes at a time when there’s already a strong shift away from cash payments.

He says they want to promote a cashless economy and provide better, more affordable access to digital services to Fijians.

As part of the announcement, ANZ will charge retailers a flat 40 cents fee for transactions over $10 made via locally issued Visa Debit Card on all ANZ EFTPOS terminals.

Previously, the fee was an average of 3.5% on the transaction value.

ANZ Fiji Head of Retail, Renuka Kumar says this is another step in helping Fiji transition to a cashless economy.