Rwanda has completed the full migration of its domestic interoperable retail payments to eKash, the national instant payment system, marking a significant milestone in the country’s journey toward a unified digital financial ecosystem.
Effective 14th July 2026, all person-to-person transfers between banks, mobile money wallets, SACCOs, and microfinance institutions are now processed through a single national payment infrastructure. The move, implemented under a directive from the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), eliminates the fragmented bilateral agreements that previously required financial institutions to maintain separate connections with each other.
Customers can now send money across any combination of financial institutions (bank-to-bank, bank-to-wallet, wallet-to-bank, or wallet-to-wallet) through their existing banking apps, mobile money platforms, or USSD codes, without needing to register for a separate eKash account or download a new application.
The central bank has capped the maximum fee for person-to-person interoperable transfers at Rwf20 per transaction, a sharp reduction from the previous charges that could reach thousands of francs depending on the amount and the institutions involved. For instance, a Bank of Kigali customer sending between Rwf5 million and Rwf10 million to a mobile wallet previously incurred a Rwf5,000 transaction fee under the old system.
While the Rwf20 fee is the maximum, financial institutions remain free to charge less or waive the fee entirely. For merchant payments processed through eKash, no transaction charges will apply to either customers or merchants.
The platform supports transactions of up to Rwf10 million (approximately USD 6,800) per transfer, though individual institutions may impose lower limits based on their internal policies.
Prior to the migration, interoperability depended on individual agreements and technical integrations between financial institutions, making the system complex and costly to operate. eKash replaces that model with a single national payment switch, allowing money to move seamlessly across the financial ecosystem.
Chirenje Clinton, Senior Marketing and Communications Officer at RSwitch, which operates eKash, explained that institutions now connect once to the national payment system, reducing technical complexity and improving the efficiency of digital transactions.
“The transfer happens through the same channels customers already use, including mobile banking applications, internet banking platforms, and USSD services,” Clinton said.
Launched in 2022, eKash initially focused on enabling interoperability between mobile money providers before gradually expanding to banks, SACCOs, and microfinance institutions. The platform now connects 22 financial institutions, including commercial banks, MTN Mobile Money Rwanda, Airtel Money Rwanda, and various SACCOs and microfinance institutions.
The 22 connected institutions collectively manage more than 21 million accounts. Rwanda has achieved one of the highest financial inclusion rates in the world, with 96 percent of adults now financially included, 92 percent formally included in banks and microfinance, and 86 percent using mobile money.
RSwitch says completing domestic interoperability marks an important milestone, but further expansion is already underway. The next phase will focus on integrating additional government payment services into eKash while also enabling cross-border instant payments, which could further transform regional trade and remittances.
The system is designed to continue functioning as more institutions join, with the goal of creating a fully connected and inclusive digital payments ecosystem for all Rwandans.
