Tonga Development Bank review
Updated September 28, 2026 · VaultCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Tonga Development Bank suits savers in Tonga who want plain easy-access banking and small, predictable charges. The basic passbook account pays a variable rate of 1%, opens from a TOP 10 minimum deposit, carries a monthly fee of TOP 1, and returns money on demand with no withdrawal fees.
Key facts
- Best for
- Easy-access savings in Tonga, with money available on demand and no withdrawal fees.
- Headline rate
- 1%↗
- Rate type
- Variable↗
- Minimum deposit
- TOP 10↗
- Access terms
- Funds available on demand; no withdrawal fees; no interest on balances below $100.00; dormancy fee $3.00 per month if inactive more than 12 months↗
- Monthly fee
- TOP 1↗
- Account kind
- Easy access↗
- Legal entity
- Tonga Development Bank↗
- Headquarters
- Tonga↗
- Founded
- 1977↗
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Community↗
- Official website
- tdb.to
Money transfer
Everyday accounts
- Audience
- Business, Students
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- WikidataWikipediafacebook.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Money is available on demand with no withdrawal fees on an easy access account.
- A variable rate of 1% with a TOP 10 minimum deposit to open.
- Outward transfers carry No transfer fee and pay out using bank and cash pickup.
Cons
- A monthly fee of TOP 1 applies where the site median is €0.
- An exchange rate margin of 4.5% sits above the site median of 0.9%.
- Balances left under the interest floor earn nothing, and a dormancy fee applies after long inactivity.
Who it suits
- Savers in Tonga who want their money on demand with no withdrawal fees.
- Business and student senders who need 6 currencies and a cash payout option.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone chasing a higher headline rate: PayPal Colombia lists 3.3%.
- Borrowers and fixed-term savers: AXI Card lists 21.59% and Plazo ES lists 24.19%, while this account is easy access.
Fees and FX
The basic passbook account opens from a TOP 10 minimum deposit and carries a monthly fee of TOP 1. The site median monthly fee is €0, so this is a small but real charge rather than a free account. The minimum deposit also sits above the site median of €0.11, so opening it needs a starting balance.
The company behind it
Tonga Development Bank is a Tonga based institution, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Tonga. The legal entity behind the savings account is Tonga Development Bank itself, and the Tonga Development Bank Act is the licence it trades under. Support is available on email, phone and community, so help comes by phone, by email or through community contact.
How Tonga Development Bank compares
9.3 vs 8.6
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9.3 vs 9.0
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9.3 vs 8.0
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9.3 vs 8.4
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9.3 vs 9.0
Where Tonga Development Bank is available
- Available
- Tonga
- Licence in Tonga
- Tonga Development Bank Act 1977, checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What rate does the basic passbook account pay?+
The account pays a variable rate of 1%. Because it is variable rather than fixed, the rate can move instead of being locked for a set term, and most accounts in the savings ranking are variable as well. Funds stay available on demand, so it behaves like easy-access cash.
What does it cost to open and keep the account?+
Opening costs a TOP 10 minimum deposit, and the account then carries a monthly fee of TOP 1. There are no withdrawal fees on the way out. The site median monthly fee is €0, so the charge is small but it is not one of the free accounts the site mostly lists.
Can I withdraw my money whenever I want?+
Funds are available on demand and there are no withdrawal fees, so money can move as soon as it is needed. The account kind is easy access, meaning nothing has to sit until a notice period ends. The charge to watch is the dormancy fee, which applies to an account left inactive for long enough.
Does the account pay interest on a small balance?+
Interest is paid only once the balance sits above the account's stated floor, so money parked under that line earns nothing. That makes topping up worthwhile before leaving funds for a while. The account opens from TOP 10, and the dormancy fee applies only after a long period without activity.
Who runs the account and under what licence?+
The provider is Tonga Development Bank, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Tonga. It trades under the Tonga Development Bank Act, the same year it was founded, and the legal entity named on the savings product is the bank itself, so the money is held with the named institution.
How many currencies can I exchange, and what does it cost?+
Foreign exchange covers 6 currencies, with an exchange rate margin of 4.5%. That margin is the cost to watch when converting, and it sits above the site median of 0.9%. The site range runs from 2 to 15 currencies.
Can I send money abroad from the bank?+
Outward transfers aimed at business and student carry No transfer fee, with payouts made using bank and cash pickup. A recipient can have money paid into a bank account or collected in cash, which suits senders working with people who may not hold a local account. The savings rate and the transfer rate are separate.
How do I get help with the account?+
Support runs on email, phone and community, so questions can go by phone, by email or through community contact. For comparison, 86.1% of the brands on the site list a help centre, so it is worth weighing that against what a self-service app would give you. The bank is reachable by each of the listed routes.
Sources
- tdb.to/about-us-contact-us-html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Support channels
“Head Office - Nuku'alofa, Address Fatafehi, Rd, PO Box 126, Nuku'alofa, Tonga”
- tdb.to/about-us-history-html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Legal entity, Licences
“1977 - Established under the Tonga Development Bank Act 1977 and opened for business on 1st September”
- tdb.to/accounts-a-products-savings-basic-passbook-saving-... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Access terms, Account kind, Headline rate, Minimum deposit, Monthly fee, Rate type
“Funds available on demand; No withdrawal fees; There will be a Dormancy of $3.00 per mth for accounts not active more than 12 mths”
- tdb.to/international-business-foreign-exchange-rates-html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Currencies
“Foreign Exchange Rates for Transactions T$10,000.00 and Below Schedule for 25/09/2026”
- tdb.to/international-business-sending-money-overseas-tts-... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience
“Sending money overseas from a Bank to Bank Account ie Payment of suppliers, payment of school fees etc”
- avepaanga.com.au checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Exchange rate markup
“There are no fees for using 'Ave Pa'anga Pau TDB Ltd. The foreign exchange cost can vary but is generally close to 4.5%”
- avepaanga.com.au/faq checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Payout methods, Transfer fee, Fee to send 1,000
“all vouchers are transferred to a beneficiary's bank account ... you can cash your APP Voucher from any of TDB Branches in Tonga”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Term, Deposit protection.
Related by the facts
Tonga Development Bank
Easy-access savings in Tonga, with money available on demand and no withdrawal fees.