CHINA UnionPay cards can now be expected at the Bank of the South Pacific (BSP) automated teller machines (ATMs) in the country.
The partnership between the two was announced at the Holiday Inn in Suva yesterday.
"This opens the door for card holders with more than 3.1 billion UnionPay cards to be able to withdraw local currency at any BSP ATM nationwide," BSP Fiji country manager, Kevin McCarthy said.
Cai Jianbo, the first executive vice president of UnionPay, said with the expansion of UnionPay network, Chinese tourists could use their UnionPay cards conveniently in more destinations abroad.
"We have recognised the recent influx of Chinese visitors into Fiji for tourism, study, business ventures and we've improved our service offerings to meet the demands of this new market for Fiji," Mr McCarthy said.
BSP Bank is the largest bank in Fiji holding the largest branch network and fleet of ATM's making it the ideal local partner for China UnionPay.
BSP's launch of UnionPay ATM acceptance follows UnionPay merchant acceptance which began in December, 2009. This is the first time UnionPay has cooperated with a local bank to provide this service in Fiji.
Recently, the government of Fiji has supported initiatives that make Fiji more conducive to China and the economic prospects it offers for the people of Fiji. These include the added convenience of direct flights between Hong Kong and Fiji and the "no visa on arrival" policy for visitors from China.
In addition, the acceptance of UnionPay on BSP's ATM network will also open up access for other bank customers from 26 other countries who also subscribe with UnionPay. BSP is scheduled to extend the acceptance of UnionPay on its EFTPOS network by the early October.
Mr McCarthy said BSP was in talks with China UnionPay on offering other products, which would also include BSP issued China UnionPay cards.