Bank of Kigali formally presented its BK Open API to key clients on 2 April 2026 at its quarterly client forum, held as the bank marks 60 years of operations. The platform was first unveiled in March at the Inclusive FinTech Forum at the Kigali Convention Centre.
BK Open API lets developers, fintech firms, payroll platforms and other businesses connect their apps and software directly to the bank's services, embedding functions such as instant payments, payroll processing, collections and real-time transaction updates in their own products. The bank described it as a system “designed to integrate its services with those of its partners.” Developers can access the platform through a developer portal that includes a testing sandbox, and the bank carries out due diligence on partners, including checks on data protection and internal governance.
PAYROLL USE CASE
One early user is Fixa, a platform that connects businesses with workers in sectors such as cleaning, security and construction. Companies can process payroll directly inside the Fixa app using BK's system, with workers who bank elsewhere also receiving payments. For now the API connects only to Bank of Kigali's systems, while inter-bank transactions continue to run over Rwanda's national payment infrastructure.
“This is an era where we have a lot of collaborations. We aim to unify the silos so that people do not have to move from one system to another while making transactions,” said Diane Karusisi, chief executive of Bank of Kigali.
GROUP RESULTS
The presentation came as parent BK Group Plc reported net income of RWF 110.1 billion for 2025, up 20.9% from the previous year. Total assets surpassed RWF 2.9 trillion for the first time, customer deposits rose 14.8% and the loan portfolio grew 16.1%.