Rwanda bank holidays 2026 and 2027
Rwanda has 24 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day), Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day), Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day (compensation day)), Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day), Sat 2 Jan 2027 (Day after New Year's Day), Mon 4 Jan 2027 (Day after New Year's Day (compensation day)).
Currency: RWF · Time zone: Africa/Kigali · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When Rwanda banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Friday. |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Compensated on Monday 28 Dec. Falls on a Saturday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Monday. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Friday. |
| Sat 2 Jan 2027 | Day after New Year's Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Compensated on Monday 4 Jan. Falls on a Saturday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | Day after New Year's Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Monday. |
| Mon 1 Feb 2027 | National Heroes' Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Monday. |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr | public holiday | Expected | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Islamic calendar date; the Rwanda Muslims' Association announces the date each year. Rwanda observed it on 20 March 2026, the Umm al-Qura date; the same pattern gives 9 March 2027, or 10 March after a 30-day Ramadan. Tuesday. |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Friday. |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Monday. |
| Wed 7 Apr 2027 | Genocide against the Tutsi Memorial Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. The weekend compensation rule does not apply to this day. Wednesday. |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Labour Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Compensated on Monday 3 May. Falls on a Saturday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Labour Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Monday. |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha | public holiday | Expected | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Islamic calendar date; the Rwanda Muslims' Association announces the date each year. Rwanda observed it on 27 May 2026, the Umm al-Qura date. Falls on a Sunday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Expected | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Applies if Eid al-Adha falls on Sunday 16 May; if Eid is on Monday 17 May, that day is the holiday itself. Monday. |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Independence Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Thursday. |
| Sun 4 Jul 2027 | Liberation Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Compensated on Monday 5 Jul. Falls on a Sunday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 5 Jul 2027 | Liberation Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Monday. |
| Fri 6 Aug 2027 | Umuganura Day (National Harvest Day) | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Friday of the first week of August. Friday. |
| Sun 15 Aug 2027 | Assumption Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Compensated on Monday 16 Aug. Falls on a Sunday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 16 Aug 2027 | Assumption Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: when an official holiday falls on a weekend, the following working day becomes a holiday. Monday. |
| Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Falls on a Saturday, a weekend day. |
| Sun 26 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Official public holiday under Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017. Falls on a Sunday, a weekend day. |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas and Boxing Day (compensation day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Article 4 of the Order: two consecutive holidays that fall on a weekend are compensated by one working day. Monday. |
Expected: the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIPPS (Rwanda Integrated Payments Processing System, RTGS) | National Bank of Rwanda | 24/7 | yes source |
| eKash (Rwanda National Digital Payment System) | RSwitch, under National Bank of Rwanda oversight | Not published | yes source |
What to watch
Rwanda compensates weekend holidays with the next working day, except 7 April, and two weekend holidays in a row are compensated by a single day. That makes the year ends the main risk: banks close Friday 25 December 2026 and Monday 28 December, then Friday 1 January and Monday 4 January 2027; at the end of 2027 Christmas and Boxing Day fall on the weekend and are compensated together on Monday 27 December. Easter 2027 closes Friday 26 and Monday 29 March. The two Eids depend on moon sighting and on the Rwanda Muslims' Association's announcement. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday. RIPPS, the RTGS, has run 24/7 since its upgrade (with a daily hour for end-of-day reconciliation), and the BNR has added clearing sessions on weekends and public holidays. eKash, the national instant payment system, launched nationwide on 14 July 2026.
Other calendars
Sources
- Presidential Order No. 54/01 of 24/02/2017 determining official public holidays · RwandaLII
- Rwanda public holidays 2026 · Afriref
- Annual Report 2023 to 2024 · National Bank of Rwanda
- Raporo y'Umwaka 2022 to 2023 (Annual Report, Kinyarwanda) · National Bank of Rwanda
- Annual Report 2024 to 2025 · National Bank of Rwanda
- Press release: update on the performance of eKash (August 2026) · National Bank of Rwanda
- BNR moves to tackle delayed eKash transfers · KT Press
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