VU · run world-payments-2026-09-08 v13.3.0
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VU

VU schema world-payments-v1 trajectory: not recorded

Last updated · 14 modules · 59 sourced findings · 104 sources in the cumulative register

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Jurisdiction brief

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#

Vanuatu runs a multi-regulator licensing architecture: RBV licenses domestic and international banks and, since the National Payment System Act No.8 of 2021 and 2025 RBV Act reforms, payment service providers and e-money issuers; VFSC licenses non-bank financial dealers and, since 2025, virtual asset service providers. Mobile money is now a distinct RBV-supervised category as of September 2023.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (6)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/financial-stability/prudential-framework/70-legislation-for-banking-industry
  2. T4https://www.offshore-protection.com/vanuatu-international-banking-licence
  3. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/?view=category&id=2&resetfilters=0&clearordering=0&clearfilters=0&group_by=exchange_rates___aud&start=20&limitstart1=160
  4. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/images/Financial_Inclusion/2025/Vanuatu%20MMSP%20Operating%20Guidlines.pdf
  5. T3https://www.pln.vu/single-post/modernising-the-resrve-bank-of-vanuatu
  6. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/virtual-asset-service-provider/

#

Conduct and safeguarding obligations are split across RBV (mobile money/PSP trust-account safeguarding, AML/CTF conduct duties, external dispute resolution) and VFSC (VASP fit-and-proper, cybersecurity, complaints and travel-rule guidance). Financial promotion policy toward cryptocurrency has moved from an outright dealing ban (2019) to a licensed pathway (2021, formalised 2025).

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/images/Financial_Inclusion/2025/Vanuatu%20MMSP%20Operating%20Guidlines.pdf
  2. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/images/Press_Releases/2018/PR10%20-RBV%20Stance%20on%20the%20cryptocurrencies.pdf
  3. T3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu_Financial_Services_Commission
  4. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/virtual-asset-service-provider/
  5. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/

#

Vanuatu became the first Pacific nation with comprehensive virtual-asset legislation via the VASP Act No.3 of 2025, covering exchange, transfer, custody and ITO/stablecoin-adjacent activity under VFSC, while the 2025 RBV Act separately brings e-money issuance under RBV prudential licensing and opens the door to central bank digital currency exploration alongside the Vatu.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Virtual-Asset-Services-Providers-Act-No-3-of-2025.pdf
  2. T3https://www.pln.vu/single-post/modernising-the-resrve-bank-of-vanuatu
  3. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/VFSC-Risk-Assessment-for-Virtual-Assets-2025.pdf
  4. T4https://www.zitadelleag.com/services/vasp-licensing/vanuatu-vasp
  5. T4https://www.zitadelleag.com/services/vasp-licensing/vanuatu-vasp

#

Operational resilience of Vanuatu's payments infrastructure rests on the National Payment System Act 2021 (RBV oversight of VANKLIA), the Cybercrime Act 2021, and a national cyber-security strategy through 2030, reinforced by VFSC's VASP-specific cybersecurity guideline and CERT Vanuatu's incident-response mandate.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/?view=category&id=2&resetfilters=0&clearordering=0&clearfilters=0&group_by=exchange_rates___aud&start=20&limitstart1=160
  2. T1http://www.paclii.org/vu/legis/num_act/ca2021112.pdf
  3. T3https://dig.watch/resource/the-vanuatu-national-cyber-security-strategy-2030
  4. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/virtual-asset-service-provider/
  5. T1https://cert.gov.vu/images/ressources/Cybercrime_Act_n_of_2021.pdf

#

Vanuatu has no dedicated interchange, surcharging or PCI DSS regulatory instrument identified; card scheme compliance (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay) operates via commercial-bank EFTPOS interoperability agreements rather than a codified national scheme-access regime.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (2)
  1. T4https://www.bred.vu/business-banking/merchant-solutions-and-facilities/
  2. T3https://vbr.vu/feature/vanklia-the-nationalpayment-system/

#

Vanuatu's dominant payment corridor is inbound remittances from Australia and New Zealand tied to seasonal-worker labour mobility schemes; this corridor carries among the highest transaction costs in the world, remains heavily cash-reliant at the last mile, and is a policy priority for cost reduction by RBV and development partners.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T2https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/reducing-remittance-costs-pacific-islands
  2. T1https://remittanceprices.worldbank.org/corridor/Australia/Vanuatu
  3. T3https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-17/vanuatu-seasonal-workers-pay-high-remittance-fees-after-cyclones/102099386
  4. T4https://www.globalvoices.org.au/post/addressing-persistently-high-transaction-costs-in-remittance-corridors-between-australia-and-pacific
  5. T4https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-technology/financial-services/18481-mycash-launches-mobile-money-transfers-between-fiji-samoa-tonga-and-vanuatu.html

#

Vanuatu's payments-relevant industry comprises five RBV-licensed commercial/international banks, a two-operator mobile-money duopoly (Digicel MyCash, Vodafone/TVL M-Vatu) with historically low uptake, and an emerging VASP-licensed digital-asset segment following the 2025 legislative reform.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (4)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/financial-stability/authorised-banks-supervised-financial-institutions?view=article&layout=edit&id=309
  2. T4https://goldenharbors.com/articles/vanuatu-banks
  3. T3https://www.uncdf.org/article/8730/mobile-financial-services-in-vanuatu-three-critical-challenges-and-how-to-solve-them
  4. T4https://www.zitadelleag.com/services/vasp-licensing/vanuatu-vasp

No payments-specific court litigation or RBV/VFSC payments-sector enforcement action was identified for Vanuatu; the principal legal/regulatory friction on record is diplomatic rather than judicial — Vanuatu's continued inclusion on the EU's AML-CFT high-risk third-countries list despite FATF delisting in 2018.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (1)
  1. T3https://fca.vu/vanuatu-and-the-eu-list-of-high-risk-third-countries-a-timeline-of-events-that-we-know-of/

#

Merchant acquiring in Vanuatu is bank-led (ANZ, BRED, NBV) rather than governed by a dedicated acquiring licence; card penetration among locals is low with cash dominant outside tourism-facing merchants, and high-risk verticals such as gaming and crypto are generally underserved or restricted by acquirers.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (4)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/?view=category&id=2&resetfilters=0&clearordering=0&clearfilters=0&group_by=exchange_rates___aud&start=20&limitstart1=160
  2. T4https://www.bred.vu/business-banking/merchant-solutions-and-facilities/
  3. T4https://www.anz.com/vanuatu/en/business/merchant-services/
  4. T4https://payatlas.com/countries/vanuatu-vu

#

The September 2023 VANKLIA launch (RTGS, ACH and CSD) is the central product/infrastructure innovation reshaping Vanuatu payments, complemented by a VFSC fintech sandbox for VASP innovation, earlier mobile-money pilots (M-Vatu, MyCash), and an ongoing RBV-led financial-inclusion strategy.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1https://rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/about-payments-system/vanklia-system
  2. T2https://www.centralbanking.com/central-banks/payments/7959681/vanuatu-launches-new-automated-payments-network
  3. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/virtual-asset-service-provider/
  4. T4https://www.dailypost.vu/news/tvl-to-pilot-new-mobile-money-platform/article_b9f54136-f891-5806-8bd8-99e8dffd4d85.html
  5. T3https://www.uncdf.org/article/8403/unleashing-the-potential-of-mobile-money-in-vanuatu

#

Consumer protection is anchored by RBV's External Dispute Resolution Scheme and emerging MMSP consumer-protection policy work (with UNCDF support), plus VFSC's VASP complaints-handling guidance; no dedicated APP-fraud mandatory-reimbursement regime (of the UK PSR type) was identified, and mobile-money data-protection practice remains under-defined.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (4)
  1. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/
  2. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/virtual-asset-service-provider/
  3. T3https://www.uncdf.org/article/8730/mobile-financial-services-in-vanuatu-three-critical-challenges-and-how-to-solve-them
  4. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/images/Financial_Inclusion/2025/Vanuatu%20MMSP%20Operating%20Guidlines.pdf

#

Sentinel.gi payments-context position: Vanuatu's AML/CFT framework, built on the AML/CTF Act No.13 of 2014, saw the country FATF grey-listed in February 2016 and delisted in June 2018 following a significant compliance overhaul; it nonetheless remains on the EU's own high-risk third-countries list, and the 2025 VASP Act extends AML/CFT (including Travel Rule) obligations to virtual-asset activity following a 2024 sector risk assessment.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1sentinel.fiu.gov.vu/vanuatu-s-progress-fatf-grey-list
  2. T1sentinel.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Mutualevaluations/Fur-vanuatu-2018.html
  3. T3sentinel.fca.vu/vanuatu-and-the-eu-list-of-high-risk-third-countries-a-timeline-of-events-that-we-know-of/
  4. T1sentinel.vfsc.vu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/VFSC-Risk-Assessment-for-Virtual-Assets-2025.pdf
  5. T4sentinel.zitadelleag.com/services/vasp-licensing/vanuatu-vasp

#

Vanuatu's cross-border payment access runs through a small number of correspondent banking relationships (CBRs) that IMF assessment and Pacific Islands Forum research both flag as under de-risking pressure, while domestically RBV administers Exchange Settlement Accounts and SWIFT-based international payment processing and participates in the regional PIRI regulatory network.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (5)
  1. T1https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/CR/2023/English/1VUTEA2023001.ashx
  2. T2https://forumsec.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/CBR%20Report_FINAL.pdf
  3. T1https://www.rbv.gov.vu/index.php/en/?option=com_content&view=article&id=32:banking&catid=8&lang=en-GB
  4. T4https://goldenharbors.com/articles/vanuatu-banks
  5. T2https://forumsec.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/CBR%20Report_FINAL.pdf

#

Trailing-12-month commercial activity for Vanuatu (Sept 2025-Sept 2026) is dominated by regulatory/institutional product launches rather than disclosed M&A or funding transactions: the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu Act 2025 institutional overhaul, the VASP Act's January 2026 fee-schedule gazettal, and VFSC's 2025 VASP risk assessment publication.

Absence reason not determinableNo sub-brief exists and the JID records no gap or review marker explaining why. The renderer will not invent a reason.

No periodic updates recorded against this sub-brief.

Sources and findings (3)
  1. T3https://www.pln.vu/single-post/modernising-the-resrve-bank-of-vanuatu
  2. T4https://www.zitadelleag.com/services/vasp-licensing/vanuatu-vasp
  3. T1https://www.vfsc.vu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/VFSC-Risk-Assessment-for-Virtual-Assets-2025.pdf
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Envelope: baseline resolved at jurisdiction_json.baseline; 14 module(s), 59 finding(s), 0 source(s) in the cumulative register.