eKash: Driving Inclusive Instant Payments in Rwanda

In 2018, Rwanda’s digital payments landscape was fragmented, expensive, and largely inaccessible—especially for rural and low-income communities. The Rwanda National Digital Payment System (RNDPS) was launched to address these challenges and lay the foundation for a national, interoperable retail instant payment system.

AfricaNenda partnered with Rwanda to support the development and evolution of eKash, enabling the country to implement a locally owned, open-source payments platform. Through technical assistance, capacity building, and collaborative governance, Rwanda successfully transformed eKash into a sustainable, sovereign system that connects banks, mobile money providers, and merchants.

Since the upgraded system launched in 2025, eKash has facilitated seamless person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-business (P2B) transactions, expanded financial inclusion, and reduced costs for service providers. This case study highlights Rwanda’s journey toward technological sovereignty, inclusive finance, and a replicable model for countries across Africa.