Market specifications

Do you want to know more information about Rwanda's market? Go to the Expand Your Reach in Africa’s eCommerce Market article.

Country reference

`country` code	`currency` code	`amount` decimals	`beneficiary.document.type` name	`beneficiary.document.id` format
`RW`	`RWF`	0	National Identity Card	16 digits

Mandatory parameters

Bank transfer

Bank transfer parameters	B2C	B2B	P2P
`external_id`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`payment_method_id`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`flow_type`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`purpose`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`country`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`amount`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`currency`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.first_name`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.last_name`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.business_name`	-	Yes	-
`beneficiary.bank_account.code`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.bank_account.account`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`remitter.first_name`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.last_name`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.document.type`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.document.id`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.birth_info.date`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.street`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.city`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.country`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.nationality`	-	-	Yes

Wallet transfers

Wallet transfer parameters	B2C	B2B	P2P
`external_id`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`payment_method_id`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`flow_type`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`purpose`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`country`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`amount`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`currency`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.first_name`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.last_name`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.business_name`	-	Yes	-
`beneficiary.instant_payment.type`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`beneficiary.instant_payment.id`	Yes	Yes	Yes
`remitter.first_name`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.last_name`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.document.type`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.document.id`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.birth_info.date`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.street`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.city`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.address.country`	-	-	Yes
`remitter.nationality`	-	-	Yes

Payment methods

Rwanda supports payouts via Bank transfers and Wallet transfers. Each method requires specific parameters and follows validation rules aligned with local compliance and banking standards.

Use Wallet transfers for instant payments to mobile wallets. Use Bank transfers when sending funds directly to a bank account.

Bank transfers

Rwanda bank transfers require detailed account information, including SWIFT code and account number. The format of these fields depends on the receiving bank, and strict validation rules apply.

Mandatory parameters

All fields listed below are required for bank transfer payouts. For successful processing, ensure correct formatting and value types.

Mandatory parameter	Description
`external_id`	Payout identification at the merchant's end. Maximum 100 characters.
`payment_method_id`	Payment method identifier. For bank transfers, use `BANK_TRANSFER`.
`flow_type`	Payout flow type. Valid values: `B2C` (Business to Consumer), `B2B` (Business to Business), or `P2P` (Person to Person).
`purpose`	Payout purpose code. See purpose codes reference.
`country`	Country code. For Rwanda, use `RW`.
`currency`	Source currency of the FX operation. For Rwanda, use `RWF` or `USD`. Payouts are always paid in local currency to the beneficiary.
`amount`	Payout amount in `RWF`. No decimals for RWF currency.
`beneficiary.first_name`	Beneficiary's first name. Maximum 50 characters.
`beneficiary.last_name`	Beneficiary's last name. Maximum 50 characters.
`beneficiary.business_name`	Beneficiary's business name. Mandatory only for B2B.
`beneficiary.bank_account.code`	Beneficiary's bank SWIFT code (8 or 11 alphanumeric characters in upper case).
`beneficiary.bank_account.account`	Beneficiary's bank account number. Minimum length 8 and Maximum length 20.
`remitter.first_name`	Remitter's first name. Maximum 50 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.last_name`	Remitter's last name. Maximum 50 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.document.type`	Remitter's document type. Type of identification document: `ID` for national ID, `PASS` for passport. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.document.id`	Remitter's identification number. Maximum 45 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.birth_info.date`	Remitter's date of birth in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD). Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.street`	Remitter's street address. Maximum 200 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.city`	Remitter's city. Maximum 40 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.country`	Remitter's country code in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.nationality`	Remitter's nationality. ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).

Example request

{
  "external_id": "68907654222332-223",
  "payment_method_id": "BANK_TRANSFER",
  "flow_type": "B2C",
  "purpose": "OTHER_SERVICES",
  "country": "RW",
  "amount": 100,
  "currency": "RWF",
  "beneficiary": {
    "first_name": "Jhon",
    "last_name": "Miles",
    "bank_account": {
      "branch": "BKIGRWRW",
      "account": "000420657163230"
    }
  }
}

{
  "external_id": "RW_P2P_002",
  "payment_method_id": "BANK_TRANSFER",
  "flow_type": "P2P",
  "purpose": "REMITTANCES",
  "country": "RW",
  "amount": 200,
  "currency": "RWF",
  "beneficiary": {
    "first_name": "John",
    "last_name": "Miles",
    "bank_account": {
      "branch": "BKIGRWRW",
      "account": "000420657163230"
    }
  },
  "remitter": {
    "first_name": "Aline",
    "last_name": "Mukamana",
    "document": {
      "type": "ID",
      "id": "987654321"
    },
    "birth_info": {
      "date": "1993-06-12"
    },
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Rue de Bruxelles",
      "city": "Brussels",
      "country": "BE"
    },
    "nationality": "RW"
  }
}

Wallet transfers

Wallet transfers enable real-time transfers using a mobile phone number linked to a wallet.

The beneficiary.instant_payment.type field must indicate the type of wallet being used (e.g., AIRTEL, MTN). The beneficiary.instant_payment.id field must be present with the phone number correctly formatted.

Mandatory parameters

The table below outlines the required parameters for Wallet transfers.

Mandatory parameter	Description
`external_id`	Payout identification at the merchant's end. Maximum 100 characters.
`payment_method_id`	Payment method. For wallet transfers, use `INSTANT_PAYMENT`.
`flow_type`	Payout flow type. Valid values: `B2C` (Business to Consumer), `B2B` (Business to Business), or `P2P` (Person to Person).
`purpose`	Payout purpose code. See purpose codes reference.
`country`	Country code. For Rwanda, use `RW`.
`currency`	Source currency of the FX operation. For Rwanda, use `RWF` or `USD`. Payouts are always paid in local currency to the beneficiary.
`amount`	Payout amount in `RWF`. Use up to 2 decimal places.
`beneficiary.first_name`	Beneficiary's first name. Maximum 50 characters.
`beneficiary.last_name`	Beneficiary's last name. Maximum 50 characters.
`beneficiary.instant_payment.type`	Type of wallet being used: `AIRTEL` or `MTN`.
`beneficiary.instant_payment.id`	Phone number in E.164 format `+250` + mobile phone number (9 digits).
`remitter.first_name`	Remitter's first name. Maximum 50 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.last_name`	Remitter's last name. Maximum 50 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.document.type`	Remitter's document type. Type of identification document: `ID` for national ID, `PASS` for passport. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.document.id`	Remitter's identification number. Maximum 45 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.birth_info.date`	Remitter's date of birth in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD). Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.street`	Remitter's street address. Maximum 200 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.city`	Remitter's city. Maximum 40 characters. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.address.country`	Remitter's country code in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).
`remitter.nationality`	Remitter's nationality. ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Mandatory only for remittance (P2P).

Example request

{
  "external_id": "RWX7Y2P4Q",
  "payment_method_id": "INSTANT_PAYMENT",
  "flow_type": "B2C",
  "purpose": "OTHER_SERVICES",
  "country": "RW",
  "amount": 1250.50,
  "currency": "RWF",
  "beneficiary": {
    "first_name": "Kamanzi",
    "last_name": "Uwase",
    "instant_payment": {
      "type": "MTN",
      "id": "+250783456789"
    }
  }
}

{
  "external_id": "RW_P2P_003",
  "payment_method_id": "INSTANT_PAYMENT",
  "flow_type": "P2P",
  "purpose": "REMITTANCES",
  "country": "RW",
  "amount": 1250.50,
  "currency": "RWF",
  "beneficiary": {
    "first_name": "Kamanzi",
    "last_name": "Uwase",
    "instant_payment": {
      "type": "MTN",
      "id": "+250783456789"
    }
  },
  "remitter": {
    "first_name": "Mukamana",
    "last_name": "Aline",
    "document": {
      "type": "ID",
      "id": "987654321"
    },
    "birth_info": {
      "date": "1993-06-12"
    },
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Rue de Bruxelles",
      "city": "Brussels",
      "country": "BE"
    },
    "nationality": "RW"
  }
}