Rwanda: Rwf960bn Transferred Through Ekash Since July - Central Bank

6 August 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Jesca Mutamba

More than Rwf960 billion has been transferred through eKash payment system, less than a month after the country completed the migration of all domestic interoperable retail payments onto the national instant payment platform.

ALSO READ: eKash harmonises Rwanda's bank, mobile payments

The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR), which announced the figures on Wednesday, August 5, said eKash has processed more than 10.5 million transactions since its nationwide rollout in mid-July, with an average 98.6 per cent successful transaction rate.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

ALSO READ: Users call for clearer guidance as eKash rollout faces transfer challenges

The platform is designed to make digital payments more affordable, accessible and efficient by creating one payment infrastructure that links banks, mobile money providers, SACCOs and microfinance institutions.

Unlike the previous system where financial institutions relied on separate connections and agreements to exchange payments with one another, eKash allows participating institutions to connect through one national payment switch.

This enables customers to transfer money across different financial platforms, including between bank accounts and mobile wallets, between different banks, from mobile wallets to bank accounts, and between different mobile money providers.

The number of people actively using interoperable digital payment services has also increased significantly since the rollout. The central bank said users grew from 740,787 in June to 1,971,522 by the end of July, representing a 166 per cent increase.

"NBR acknowledges the positive response to eKash and thanks the public for their continued trust and constructive feedback, which has contributed to the ongoing improvement of the service," the bank said.

ALSO READ: Rwanda rolls out system ending fragmented digital payments

The system has also introduced lower transaction costs for customers transferring money between different financial institutions.

Transfer charges have been lowered to Rwf20 for transactions of up to Rwf10 million.

Merchant payments processed through eKash do not attract eKash transaction charges for either customers or merchants.

ALSO READ: What Rwanda's new digital payment system means for your money

While most transactions have been completed successfully, the central bank noted that some users experienced delays and failed transactions during the initial rollout.

"These issues are being addressed by participating financial institutions and the system operator under the oversight of the National Bank of Rwanda," the central bank said.

It added that continuous improvements will be made to strengthen system performance and customer service.

ALSO READ: FEATURED: Airtel Money, MoMo services integrate as eKash is launched

Launched in 2022, eKash initially focused on enabling interoperability between mobile money service providers before expanding to commercial banks, SACCOs and microfinance institutions.

The platform now connects 22 financial institutions, including banks, mobile money operators, SACCOs and microfinance institutions.

Read the original article on New Times.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 The New Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.