NCBA Bank Rwanda has unveiled ConnectPlus, a new digital banking platform designed to provide customers with faster, safer and more convenient access to financial services while strengthening financial inclusion through multiple digital channels.
The platform enables individuals and businesses to make payments, access loans, manage payroll, and monitor employee accounts through a single integrated system.
ConnectPlus is available through three channels, a mobile application, a web platform and the bank’s USSD service (*660#), allowing customers to access banking services regardless of the type of device they own.
Speaking during the launch, NCBA Bank Rwanda Managing Director Maurice Toroitich said the bank developed the platform to ensure that no customer is left behind in the country’s digital banking transformation.
“We are not just looking at customers who have smartphones or laptops. ConnectPlus is available through our USSD code *660#, our mobile application and the web platform, ensuring every customer can access banking services through the channel that best suits them,” Toroitich said.
He noted that the bank has also integrated the platform with the eKash network, enabling customers to transfer money seamlessly between banks, mobile money services and SACCOs connected to the ecosystem.
“Wherever our customers are, they can send money to banks, MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money or SACCOs within the eKash network. That is how we are driving financial inclusion,” he added.
Beyond everyday banking, ConnectPlus introduces personalized banking features that allow customers to customize their dashboards based on the services they use most frequently. Bank officials emphasized that personalization is intended solely to improve customer experience and not to monetize customers’ personal information.
Instead, customer transaction data will be used to enhance banking services, including the development of models that can pre-approve credit limits based on customers’ spending habits and cash-flow patterns.
“We are building models that will allow us to pre-approve credit limits based on customers’ transaction patterns and cash flows so they can access financing more quickly whenever they need it,” a bank executive explained.
The platform also uses location services only to help customers identify the nearest NCBA branch or ATM when they require banking assistance.
NCBA Bank said security was a key consideration throughout the development of ConnectPlus, with every feature built using a security and privacy-by-design approach.
According to the bank, it is registered with Rwanda’s Data Protection Office as a certified Data Protection Controller and Processor, ensuring compliance with national data protection regulations. Customers also benefit from data minimization measures and the option to opt out of certain data collection features.
The platform incorporates several security measures, including two-factor authentication, biometric login through fingerprint or facial recognition, single-device registration to prevent unauthorized access, and end-to-end encryption for all communications between customers and the bank’s servers.
“Security and privacy are embedded into every feature we introduce. Every communication between the application and our servers is fully encrypted, while multiple authentication layers ensure customers’ accounts remain protected,” a senior cybersecurity official at the bank said.
The launch of ConnectPlus reflects NCBA Bank Rwanda’s continued investment in digital innovation as Rwanda advances its digital economy agenda. By combining accessibility through mobile, web and USSD channels with enhanced security and personalized banking services, the bank aims to offer customers a seamless digital banking experience while expanding access to financial services across the country.
