Rwanda has made its national instant payment system, eKash, the mandatory channel for all domestic person to person transfers between banks and mobile money wallets, in a move aimed at lowering transaction costs and improving interoperability across the country’s financial sector. Under Directive No. 45/2026, which took effect on July 14, the National Bank of Rwanda capped the fee for all domestic transfers at Rwf20, replacing charges that previously reached as high as Rwf5,000 depending on the financial institution.
The directive, signed by Central Bank Governor Soraya M. Hakuziyaremye, requires all licensed banks, mobile money operators and savings and credit cooperatives to process transfers through the eKash payment infrastructure. Customers will continue using their existing bank accounts and mobile wallets without opening new accounts or downloading additional applications, while merchants can now accept payments from any bank or mobile money provider through a unified payment network.
As part of the transition, authorities also announced the discontinuation of the consumer facing eKash wallet application. Existing users have been directed to withdraw their balances and migrate to their banks’ mobile or internet banking platforms, while the underlying eKash payment infrastructure will continue to operate as the country’s central transaction rail. The move shifts the platform’s focus from providing wallet services to serving as the backbone for Rwanda’s digital payments ecosystem.
The latest reform builds on Rwanda’s broader drive to modernise its financial infrastructure and deepen digital financial inclusion. Developed on the open source Mojaloop framework with support from AfricaNenda and the Gates Foundation, the eKash platform is expected to support future services including QR code payments, bulk transactions, government disbursements and, eventually, cross border instant payments, further strengthening Rwanda’s position as one of Africa’s leading digital payments markets.