Keynote Address by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva at the the 3rd Inclusive FinTech Forum

Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva

Prime Minister, Republic of Rwanda 

Keynote Address at the Inclusive FinTech Forum

Kigali, Rwanda

11 March 2026

• Distinguished Guests,

• Inclusive Fintech Forum Partners

• Leaders from government and industry,

• Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Rwanda for the 3rd Inclusive Fintech Forum. We are honoured to host you in Kigali to advance an important global mission: building a financial system that leaves no one behind.

2. Allow me to begin by thanking the Kigali International Financial Centre, the Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN) and the National Bank of Rwanda for convening this important platform. I recognise the enduring partnership between Rwanda and Singapore that has made this event possible, and we look forward to continuing to deepen this collaboration in the years ahead.

• Distinguished Guests,

3. This Forum comes at a defining moment for Africa and indeed the world.

4. The financial and economic order many of us have known in our lifetimes is undergoing profound, undeniable change. For Africa, which has long stood at the margins of this system while relying on it for development financing, and access to global markets, this moment presents both uncertainty and opportunity.

5. Because Africa has historically existed at the periphery of global finance, often facing inflated risk premiums and limited access to capital, we also have much to gain from rethinking how financial systems are designed and how capital flows in this new era.

6. We stand at the frontier of many economic opportunities. Global supply chains are shifting, opening the door for new manufacturing and industrial partnerships.

7. At the same time, rapidly expanding digital technologies are allowing African entrepreneurs to leapfrog  legacy infrastructure, an opportunity many are already seizing, particularly in the fintech sector, now the

leading segment of Africa’s startup ecosystem.

8. The opportunity for Africa to become a cradle of global business and innovation is real. The foundation of this transformation will be robust and inclusive financial systems capable of mobilising capital towards

the continent’s most pressing priorities, including energy, digital infrastructure, manufacturing and human capital development.

9. In this regard, fintech has a critical role to play. It expands access to finance, lowers transaction costs, and enables millions of people and businesses to participate fully in the formal economy.

• Distinguished Guests,

10. In this new era, questions around digital sovereignty, resilient payment architectures, and credible data governance are no longer merely technical matters. They are strategic priorities that will determine our

resilience, competitiveness and our economic independence in an evolving global financial order.

11. Rwanda, has embraced this responsibility with determination.

12. Over the past two decades, we have made deliberate investments in digital transformation as a foundation for long-term competitiveness, achieving near-universal 4G population coverage across the country.

13. Public services have been digitised through platforms such as Irembo, improving efficiency, transparency, and citizen access. Electronic transactions increasingly dominate retail payments, strengthening financial inclusion and formal economic participation.

14. Today 92 percent of adults in Rwanda have access to financial services, reflecting the steady growth of our fintech ecosystem.

15. Through digital innovation, a farmer in a rural village can receive payments instantly. A young entrepreneur can access credit through a mobile device. A small business can connect to global markets from anywhere in the world.

16. Yet we recognise that our work is far from complete. Inclusive fintech is not just about innovation, it is about equity, trust, and shared prosperity.

17. Our priority now is to create an even more enabling environment for innovation and investment. This includes strengthening investor protection frameworks and expanding regulatory sandbox capacity for fintech and other emerging technologies. Among our recent milestones is the forthcoming law on Virtual Asset Businesses, which will unlock new avenues for responsible growth, while providing regulatory certainty for investors and consumers.

• Distinguished Guests,

18. As we look ahead, we must also remain clear-eyed about the challenges that persist across much of our continent. Access to affordable capital remains limited, cross-border payments are still costly and slow, and regulatory fragmentation continues to raise transaction risks and the cost of doing business.

19. But these constraints do not define Africa’s future.

20. African innovators continue to demonstrate that solutions developed here, from mobile payments to digital identity systems, can not only solve local challenges, but also shape global financial systems.

21. At the same time, Africa cannot and should not attempt to build financial sovereignty on rails it does not control. Instruments such as the AfCFTA Digital Protocol, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, and the AU's data governance frameworks are not bureaucratic services. They are the foundation of our financial

independence and must be implemented and funded with urgency.

22. To the investors and innovators gathered here today, please allow me to reaffirm that Rwanda stands ready to partner with you to unlock the extraordinary opportunities before us.

23. Together, we can build a dynamic, secure, and inclusive financial ecosystem, capable of supporting Africa’s next chapter of growth and innovation.

24. Thank you all, and thank you once again to the organisers for convening this event. I wish you fruitful deliberations.

END