64% very concerned on the security of their personal and financial information when using digital financial services

47 percent of consumers surveyed use digital financial services on a weekly basis, 51 percent use mobile money wallets, 24 percent use EFTPOS, 16 percent use internet banking, 77 percent never lodged a complaint with their service provider regarding issues they faced while 64 percent are very concerned on the security of their personal and financial information when using digital financial services.

These are the key findings in the Consumer Council of Fiji report “Beyond Access: Consumer Perspective on Digital Finance in Fiji”.

While launching the report today, Deputy Prime Minister, Manoa Kamikamica says with over 1,104 Fijians surveyed across all the four divisions, this report provides a number of important considerations for all stakeholders of this important ecosystem.

He says with the increased adoption of digital financial services, the government remains committed to provide an enabling, equitable, conducive and safe digital environment.

The Deputy Prime Minister says they will continue to prioritise the meaningful participation of marginalized communities after the launch of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code last month to remove existing barriers.

Kamikamica says with the increased use of digital tools, the providers, be it the private sector or government, must ensure that cybersecurity is embedded in the design of these tools and not as an afterthought.

He says this is fundamental and these tools need to be tested thoroughly before being deployed.

The Deputy Prime Minister says at a national level, we have laws such as the Cybercrime Act which combats cybercrimes and promotes international collaboration with most cyber-enabled crimes being trans-boundary in nature.

He says government is taking steps to accede to the Budapest Convention which is the only international instrument to combat cybercrime and for swift international cooperation.

Kamikamica says to ensure that we continue to bolster our cyber defences, the government is undertaking their second Cybersecurity Maturity Model Assessment.

He says this specific assessment tool is for countries and was developed by the University of Oxford and it is to holistically review our cybersecurity posture and areas that we need to work on, given the evolving threat landscape.

The Deputy Prime Minister says Fiji was one of the first countries globally to use this tool in 2015 however given the evolving threat landscape, the second assessment is timely.