Nairobi — The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has increased bulk payment settlement time to enable completion of large-value and time-sensitive transactions.
Starting July 1, 2025, the Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System (KEPSS), the national Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, operating hours will be revised to between 7am and 7pm from the current 8:30am and 4:30am.
"This strategic enhancement is aimed at improving the efficiency, accessibility, and resilience of Kenya's payments ecosystem," CBK said in a statement.
"By enabling earlier initiation and later completion of large-value and time-sensitive payments, this move will support the country's transition towards a 24/7 digital economy."
The extension is a boost to government, businesses, banks, and private sector players, among others, who depend on the system to transact large sums of funds daily.
Between August 2023 and August last year, for example, KEPSS handled over 5.3 million transactions with over Sh45 trillion.
"CBK remains committed to ensuring that the national payments infrastructure continues to meet the evolving needs of the economy and to fostering a secure, efficient, and inclusive financial system," CBK added.