The Minister of ICT and Innovation today officially launched the Rwanda FinTech Centre during the Inclusive FinTech Forum, with the vision to accelerate Rwanda’s development agenda through the creation of a one-stop center for fintech growth and ecosystem coordination
The Centre is a joint initiative by the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), the ICT Chamber, the Rwanda fintech association, and the Luxembourg Cooperation, reflecting growing collaboration between Rwanda and Luxembourg to strengthen Africa’s fintech ecosystem and expand access to inclusive digital finance.
Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Inclusive Finance: Innovation, Impact, and Connection,” the Inclusive FinTech Forum provided a timely and high-impact platform to introduce the Rwanda FinTech Centre to global investors, policymakers, financial institutions, fintech innovators, and development partners.
The launch brought together industry leaders, policymakers, regulators, innovators, and ecosystem enablers from across the global fintech community to highlight the momentum of Rwanda’s fintech sector and the strategic role of the Rwanda FinTech Centre.
Rwanda’s fintech ecosystem now includes over 100 companies, with strong activity in payments (61 firms) and lending (29). This foundation creates significant opportunities to expand into areas such as savings and investments, digital banking, and insurance, further diversifying and strengthening the country’s financial services landscape. As the sector grows, increasing access to capital and supporting more investment-ready startups will be critical to reach the next phase of development.
The ecosystem is supported by Rwanda’s evolving digital infrastructure and strong collaboration between fintechs, telecom operators, and financial institutions.
The Rwanda FinTech Centre will play a key role in unlocking this potential by fostering partnerships, supporting innovation, and accelerating the digitisation of financial services, helping position Rwanda as a leading fintech hub for Africa.
Speaking at the unveiling, Hortense Mudenge, Chief Executive Officer of the Kigali International Financial Centre, highlighted the importance of collaborative platforms in accelerating fintech innovation.
“The Rwanda FinTech Centre represents the next phase of Rwanda’s financial innovation journey. By creating a platform where financial institutions, innovators, regulators, and investors can collaborate, we are building an ecosystem that translates policy ambition into practical market solutions that expand access to finance and support economic growth across Africa,” she said.
Charlotte Helminger, Chargée d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Kigali, underscored Luxembourg’s commitment to financial inclusion and economic development in Rwanda.
“Luxembourg is proud to partner with KIFC and MINICT to drive inclusive growth. The FinTech Centre will translate into tangible impact for consumers and companies to be able to access better financial services in savings, investments, capital, and much more.” Charlotte added.
Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, reaffirmed the Government’s support for the initiative.
“The Rwanda FinTech Centre will play a critical role in advancing our ambition to build a vibrant digital economy and strengthen Rwanda’s position as a hub for innovation in Africa. The Government of Rwanda is committed to supporting this initiative and working closely with partners, financial institutions, and innovators to ensure its success. We encourage stakeholders across the ecosystem to actively engage with the Centre and contribute to shaping the future of financial innovation,” she said.
Beyond the official launch, the breakfast roundtable was a call for action for financial institutions to embrace the next chapter in finance and use the FinTech Centre to partner with innovators, co-create and adopt new and improved fintech products and services into the Rwandan market.
Beyond the practical support to digitise financial services, the FinTech Association will build capacity on FinTech across the financial sector, host a fellowship scheme for FinTech entrepreneurs, conduct research to inform policy advocacy, and implement the Rwanda FinTech Strategy to build the Rwandan FinTech ecosystem.
Through the combined services of the FinTech Centre, the aim is to realize the objectives of the Rwanda Fintech Strategy that focuses on establishing Rwanda as a launchpad for FinTech by enabling local and global FinTech to take their tried and tested ideas and expand into Rwanda’s market and markets in the region and to drive digital financial inclusion of Rwandans by leveraging innovative digital solutions to foster economic growth and reduce financial disparity in the nation.
