Tonga Development Bank selects BPC’s SmartVista to revamp its payments platform

By Leandra Monteiro

Tonga Development Bank (TDB), the longest-serving bank in the Polynesian Kingdom since 1977, recently announced that it has chosen BPC to be its solution partner, with the aim to accelerate digital transformation in the Polynesian banking sector.

Using BPC’s SmartVista Platform, TDB will be able to issue Visa Debit as a first step in the overall modernisation of its payment’s infrastructure. It will also be using SmartVista for payment and card management, fraud prevention, 3D Secure, and Interfaces to Visa.

Angelo Bertini, SVP, BPC said, “We are proud to partner with Tonga Development Bank to accelerate the Pacific’s economic, social and environmental development, especially as the region recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to help them lead the way in seamless and flexible banking in this part of the world, creating a high-quality banking experience for their customers.”

TDB has selected SmartVista for its user experience design and the flexibility to customise products to suit the bank’s specific needs without the need for coding or additional investment. Easy to use, SmartVista can be seamlessly integrated using APIs with other third-party systems.

It provides the tools required for the bank’s operations team to manage and monitor critical systems effortlessly. At the same time, the end customer gets a hyper-personalised experience that is hard to replicate with other providers.

A geographically remote archipelago, Tonga sees half of its roughly 216,000 citizens currently residing abroad. As overseas Tongans transfer remittances home to their families, income from remittances is estimated to be about the same as the total GDP.

Commenting on the partnership, Emeline ‘Uheina Katoa Tuita of Pangai, CEO of TDB said, “As an important part of Tonga’s economic ecosystem, we are proud to be welcoming in new generation technology and leading the way when it comes to digital adoption. With BPC, we are partnering with a force that will help catalyse our digital transformation and bring about a banking experience that customers have not seen before.”

While Tonga is the latest country served by BPC in the archipelago, the move marks an important milestone for BPC’s position in Polynesia and the Pacific Islands in general and aligns with its vision to enable digital adoption across the globe.