NALA: Revolutionizing Payments in Rwanda with New PSP License

NALA, an East African financial technology company, is celebrating the approval by the National Bank of Rwanda of a Payment Service Provider (PSP) license for NALA.

NALA received a license from the National Bank of Rwanda, resulting from close collaboration between NALA and Rwanda’s financial regulator.

The PSP license unlocks a host of new payment capabilities including direct integration with banks and mobile money operators, disbursements such as for bill or school fees, and payment collections. This enables NALA to make international payments to Rwanda cheaper and more reliable.

Nicolai Eddy, NALA group’s Chief Operating Officer, revealed that the new PSP license enables NALA to process disbursements and collections in-house, which reduces cost and increases reliability for those sending money to and collecting money from Rwanda.

He noted that with this new license in hand, NALA can offer: Payment gateway services, allowing merchants to collect payments from local channels such as mobile money or cards, Direct integration with telcos and banks, opening up greater reliability and control as well as reduced overhead costs, and Payment processing on behalf of third parties, such as other remittance services.

Nicolai said, “Enabling direct integration to banks and telcos allows us to address some of the most pressing and sticky challenges that individuals and businesses face when moving money across Rwanda’s borders. Our new PSP license enables us to build these capabilities under our own roof, which means we can improve quality of service and reduce cost.”

He added, “We have worked closely with the Bank of Rwanda to complete the appropriate steps to become licensed as a Payment Service Provider. With this new license, NALA commits to supporting and collaborating with the Rwandan regulator and the relevant government agencies to accomplish our shared ambitions.”

NALA has been operating in Rwanda since 2021, partnering with other companies to disburse remittance payments to bank accounts and mobile money wallets. Since then, the company has processed 10,000+ transactions and helped thousands of Rwandan diasporans send money home. This has resulted in over one billion Rwandan Francs being sent home from abroad.

The approval comes after the rollout of the Rwanda Fintech Policy 2022-2027, which aims to firmly establish Rwanda as a regional financial centre and advance the nation’s financial inclusion.

The report states: “The development of the Rwandan fintech landscape and the establishment of Rwanda as a fintech hub will attract investment and provide the technology and financial services needed to make Rwanda a global financial centre. Fintech also enhances the reach and efficiency of financial services more broadly to boost financial inclusion beyond payments.”

Jean-Marie KANANURA, Chief Investment Officer at Rwanda Finance Limited, highlighted Rwanda’s vision for economic advancement, not just of their own nation, but of the region and the continent aligns closely with NALA’s mission to increase economic opportunity for Africans worldwide.

He said, “The establishment of NALA aligns perfectly with our aspirations of positioning Rwanda as a Fintech hub. NALA’s presence will undoubtedly contribute to our efforts to drive digital and financial inclusion in Rwanda. We are excited about this development as it underscores our immediate role in facilitating different forms of investments to structure through KIFC. Working closely with different stakeholders, we have put in place the right framework and policies to create a conducive environment that will attract more Fintech companies like NALA in our ecosystem to drive innovation and growth of our financial sector.”

NALA continues its operational activities in Rwanda, and hopes to support the nation’s ambitions to innovate and advance technologically, especially as a lever to support opportunities for its growing youth population.

The NALA App is available for download via the App Store or Play Store from the US, UK and Europe.