Senator Evode Uwizeyimana has called on the government to closely examine the fees charged by financial service providers for digital money transfers, saying some charges are too high for ordinary customers.
He singled out MTN, questioning why customers sending more than RWF 150,000 are charged a fee of RWF 1,500.
Uwizeyimana raised the issue in Parliament as Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva presented the government’s progress in developing Rwanda’s financial sector to senators and members of the Chamber of Deputies.
He said the cost of transferring money by phone can become significant for frequent users. Someone making 10 such transactions, for example, could spend RWF 15,000 in transfer fees.
“These charges are too high. We feel that MTN is taking advantage of its customers. We want you to engage with the company on this issue or tell us whether you consider the way these services are being provided to be reasonable,” Uwizeyimana said.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning said discussions would be held on ways to reduce the cost of digital transfers.
Officials also pointed to competition in the market as a potential way of bringing fees down. If other providers continue offering similar services at lower rates, the ministry said, companies charging more would face pressure to reduce their fees.
The government also introduced eKash in 2026, a payment system designed to connect financial institutions and make money transfers faster and cheaper. Transfers through the system can cost as little as RWF 20 per transaction, while the amount that can be sent or received in a single transaction can reach RWF 10 million.
eKash has helped address challenges caused by limited interoperability between different financial service providers, making digital payments faster and easier to use.
The number of eKash users rose from 740,787 in June 2026 to 1,971,522 by the end of July 2026.
More broadly, digital payment activity in Rwanda has grown sharply. Between 2017 and 2025, the number of electronic payment transactions increased from about 256 million to 3.1 billion.
The total value of money transferred electronically also rose significantly, from about RWF 2.9 trillion to RWF 85.5 trillion over the same period.
