Pilot project underway to integrate Rwanda-Tanzania payment switches

November 14, 2025 in Infrastructure, Technology & Telecoms by Editor

Murenzi (right), said the pilot project marks a pivotal milestone for the regional payment system integration agenda, by moving the EAC closer to a single regional instant payment ecosystem that will facilitate secure, affordable, and real-time transactions across borders.

Preparations are underway for a pilot project to integrate the Rwanda and Tanzania respective national retail payment system switches.

This will allow individuals and businesses in both countries to send and receive money between bank accounts and mobile money wallets seamlessly and in real time.

Speaking in Kigali early this week, during high level talks, Eng. Daniel Murenzi, the East African Community Principal Information Technology Officer said, “This preparatory work marks a pivotal milestone in our regional payment system integration agenda, moving us closer to a single regional instant payment ecosystem that will facilitate secure, affordable, and real-time transactions across borders.”

According to the Secretariat, the move marks a crucial step toward enabling instant, low-cost cross-border money transfers for citizens and businesses across the region.

Currently in the technical implementation phase, the plan is to connect Tanzania’s Instant Payment System (TIPS) with Rwanda’s National Payment Switch (RSWITCH).

The Chairperson of the meeting, Fabian Ladislaus Kasole, Assistant Manager, Oversight and Policy, at the National Payments Directorate, Bank of Tanzania said, “As a region, we remain committed to establishing a robust technical and operational framework that will ensure the successful interlinking of our national retail payment systems, ultimately enhancing cross-border payment efficiency and financial inclusion across the region.”

The talks brought together representatives from the Central Banks, National Payment Systems, AfrikaNenda, Mojaloop Foundation and the EAC Secretariat. The technical teams are expected to hold a series of meetings to cover various matters, including an interoperability framework to address technical integration and operational designs as well as legal and regulatory alignment, governance and institutional arrangements, economic and business model, and strategic and regional alignment among others.

The integration of Tanzania’s TIPS and Rwanda’s RSwitch forms the core of a strategic Proof of Concept (POC) pilot. This pilot is designed to demonstrate the technical and operational feasibility of a direct, functional cross-border payment switch within the EAC.

It also serves as a pioneering model for future expansion to all EAC Partner States. The initiative serves as a practical and scalable first step, laying the foundational groundwork for the future aspiration of a fully integrated, centralised regional digital payments market.

The ongoing technical preparations for the interlinking represent the first tangible implementation of the EAC Cross-Border Payment System Masterplan and directly support the strategic aspirations of the EAC Heads of State for deeper regional financial integration.

The Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP), funded by the World Bank and coordinated by the EAC Secretariat, will play a key role in supporting the implementation of the EAC Cross-Border Payment System Master Plan.

As a flagship regional initiative, EARDIP is supporting the building of the foundation for a modern and connected regional payment ecosystem by strengthening the linkage of payment systems between Partner States.