Rwanda has officially designated eKash as its national instant payment system, marking another milestone in the country's digital transformation. Effective from 14 July 2026, the platform enables money to move instantly between any bank account and any mobile wallet in Rwanda for a flat fee of just one US cent.
The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR), working through the national payment switch, RSwitch, has completed the migration of all domestic interoperable retail payments to eKash, which now serves as the country's National Digital Payment System.
The new infrastructure supports four types of transactions: account to account, account to wallet, wallet to account and wallet to wallet. Customers can transfer money seamlessly between banks and mobile money providers, regardless of whether the institutions have direct bilateral connections.
Importantly, eKash is not a new consumer application but the infrastructure that sits behind existing financial services. Customers continue using their current banking applications, internet banking platforms, USSD services and mobile money interfaces without needing to register for a new service.
Originally published by African Business.