Rwanda has officially rolled out eKash, the country’s national instant digital payment infrastructure, marking a significant milestone in the modernization of its financial sector by enabling seamless transfers between banks and mobile money wallets at a flat maximum fee of Rwf20 per transaction.
In a public notice, the National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) announced that, effective July 14, 2026, all person-to-person (P2P) interoperable transfers between licensed financial institutions will be processed through the eKash platform.
The new system allows customers to instantly send and receive money between bank accounts and mobile wallets, regardless of the provider.
The service supports all major transfer combinations, including bank-to-bank, bank-to-wallet, wallet-to-bank and wallet-to-wallet transactions. Customers will continue using their existing bank accounts and mobile money wallets, with no need to open new accounts or change service providers.
Under the new framework, individual transactions can be as high as Rwf10 million. To promote affordable digital payments and financial inclusion, NBR has capped the maximum customer charge at Rwf20 per transaction, although banks and electronic money issuers remain free to charge less, including offering the service at no cost.
The central bank said it will continue supervising the platform to ensure its safety, reliability and compliance with regulatory standards.
It will also monitor system performance, customer protection measures and complaint handling as more financial institutions join the interoperable ecosystem.
Bank of Kigali was among the first institutions to announce its implementation of the new pricing structure.
The bank informed customers that all transfers between BK accounts, other local banks and mobile money wallets—including MTN MoMo and Airtel Money—will now be processed through eKash at a flat fee of Rwf20 for transactions ranging from Rwf100 to Rwf10 million.
The new tariff represents a substantial reduction in transfer costs. For example, transfers from BK to mobile wallets that previously attracted charges ranging from Rwf100 to Rwf5,000 depending on the amount will now cost only Rwf20.
Transfers to other local banks, previously charged Rwf1,000, will also cost Rwf20, while internal BK transfers and transfers to customers’ own mobile wallets have been aligned with the same flat fee.
The rollout is expected to accelerate Rwanda’s transition toward a fully interoperable digital payments ecosystem, reducing transaction costs for consumers while encouraging greater adoption of cashless payments.
The initiative also strengthens competition among financial service providers by allowing customers to move funds instantly across different platforms without the traditional cost barriers.
NBR said the development will make digital financial services more accessible and inclusive while contributing to a stronger, more connected and resilient national payments ecosystem.
The central bank has urged participating institutions to continue informing customers about the new system, applicable fees, transaction limits and available customer support channels.
