The iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) has confirmed a new partnership with mobile wallet provider Sole Fintech to deliver lease payments electronically to landowning units and their members, saying the move is aimed at improving the speed, security and accessibility of disbursements and encouraging greater financial discipline among beneficiaries.
TLTB issued an expression of interest for a mobile wallet services provider in August 2024, and the tender was subsequently awarded to Sole Fintech on January 25, the board confirmed. TLTB says the arrangement forms part of wider efforts to modernise its payment systems and make lease monies easier to collect, especially for members in remote communities.
Sole Fintech founder and chairman Semi Tukana said implementation and integration testing with TLTB has been completed and the platform is ready for rollout. “Sole and TLTB have completed implementation and testing of direct integration pathways allowing instant disbursement of funds directly to Sole account holders,” Tukana told this newspaper. He added the platform is cloud‑based so it can scale resources on demand as uptake grows.
The Sole App offers several features intended to help recipients manage their income. Tukana said users get budgeting tools, including up to 20 free “buckets” for earmarking funds, automated transfers into those buckets, and options to schedule recurring bill or loan payments. He also highlighted a group‑account function aimed at landowning units: distribution can be made directly into transparent group accounts that all unit members can access, a feature he said is not available on other Fijian platforms.
TLTB and Sole emphasised that landowners will not be charged by Sole to receive lease payments into their e‑wallets. There is, however, a small fee associated with moving money off the platform: Sole’s standard charge for transfers to bank accounts is $0.70, which the company says covers bank fees. There are no customer fees for using QR Pay at merchants. For beneficiaries facing connectivity problems in maritime or remote areas, Sole has arranged to provide cash deposit and withdrawal access through all Post Fiji branches.
Sole Ltd is also linked to the Fijian Holding Unit Trust (FHUT), Tukana said, allowing wallet balances to be invested directly into FHUT where appropriate. The company positions the app not just as a payments tool but as a financial management platform that can support budgeting, savings and investment behavior among users.
TLTB has encouraged landowning unit members to adopt the digital option to benefit from faster and more secure access to lease monies. Officials did not give a firm public start date for the phased rollout but indicated a launch is imminent; Tukana said early feedback from landowners since the announcement has been “very positive.” This development follows the board’s stated push over the past year to digitise its payment processes and expand options for beneficiaries.
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