How banks in Rwanda can turn interoperable payments into stronger customer relationships.
In Rwanda, 96% of adults are financially included — but only 22% hold a bank account.
Effective 14 July 2026, transfers between Rwanda’s banks and electronic-money issuers including bank-to-bank and bank-to-mobile wallet transfers, run through the eKash national instant-payment rail, with customer fees capped at RWF 20 per transaction.
Access is no longer the question. Payment is now a public utility. What banks still compete for is the customer relationship itself.
This paper sets out what changed, why it matters now, and what a bank’s digital wallet is for in this new environment.