Launching payments in Uganda: the stack
Paying out in Uganda means crediting shillings to MTN MoMo or Airtel Money wallets, which carried nearly 61% of 2025 remittance receipts, or to bank accounts over the Bank of Uganda's ACH and UNISS RTGS, through a provider that holds Bank of Uganda approval for cross-border remittances or works with one. Cross-border senders typically use payout networks such as dLocal, Flutterwave, Nium, Thunes or TerraPay, banks such as Stanbic and Equity, the Bank of Uganda's daily official rates as the FX reference, and NIRA-linked ID checks from Smile ID, Dojah or Laboremus.
| Currency | UGX |
| Local payout rails | Mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money), UNISS (Uganda National Interbank Settlement System, RTGS), ACH (Automated Clearing House), EAPS (East African Payment System) |
| Holiday calendar | Uganda bank holidays 2026 and 2027 |
The Uganda market
- Uganda received US$2.5 billion in remittances in 2025, about 3.8% of GDP, across more than 16 million transactions averaging US$152, according to new Bank of Uganda data; outflows were US$402 million. source
- The United States sent US$702 million (28%) of 2025 inflows, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. source
- Digital channels carried 73% of 2025 inflows and cash pick-up 27%; mobile money accounted for nearly 61% of remittance receipts. source
- The World Bank puts Uganda's 2025 personal remittances at US$2,798 million (World Development Indicators, updated 8 October 2026), against US$2.5 billion in the Bank of Uganda's new remittance data. source
- E-money transaction values rose 28.6% to UGX 326.3 trillion in the year to June 2025, on 8.4 billion transactions, through 18 licensed e-money issuers and 1,016,914 agents. source
- Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Uganda cost 4.64% on average in Q3 2025 (average fee GBP 2.41, exchange rate margin 2.63%, total GBP 5.56). source
Licensing: who can pay out in Uganda
- Under the National Payment Systems Act (Cap. 59, 2020), offering a payment service, operating a payment system or issuing a payment instrument requires a Bank of Uganda licence. source
- The Bank of Uganda's oversight framework (August 2025) lists cross-border money transfer and remittance services, inbound or outbound and delivered in local currency, as payment services that need prior Bank of Uganda approval or a licence. source
- Money remittance businesses need a Bank of Uganda licence under the Foreign Exchange Act and the Foreign Exchange (Forex Bureaus and Money Remittance) Regulations, 2006; the Foreign Exchange (Amendment) Act, 2023 set the minimum paid-up share capital for money remittance business at 10,000 currency points (UGX 200 million). source
- The Bank of Uganda's register shows MTN Mobile Money Uganda as a payment systems operator and payment service provider with Class A large funds transfer and large e-money issuer licences; Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda also holds payment service provider and payment systems operator licences. source
- Uganda has no VASP licensing law: virtual asset service providers are accountable persons under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 16 had registered with the Financial Intelligence Authority by June 2024, and April 2022 Bank of Uganda circulars bar entities licensed under the NPS Act and the Financial Institutions Act from converting virtual assets into fiat or the reverse. source
This page explains the rules in general terms and is not legal or regulatory advice. Check the primary source and take advice on how the rules apply to your firm.
Payout rails in Uganda
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money) | MTN Mobile Money Uganda, Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda (licensed by the Bank of Uganda) | MTN MoMo accepts transactions from UGX 500 up to UGX 5,000,000 and caps a wallet balance at UGX 20,000,000. | source |
| UNISS (Uganda National Interbank Settlement System, RTGS) | Bank of Uganda | Under the Bank of Uganda's published UNISS operating schedule (Schedule D), the operating day starts 08:30 with settlement windows from 08:30, 13:00 and 15:00; cross-border (EAPS) cut-off 16:00, initial cut-off 16:30, final cut-off 17:00 and end of value day 18:00. | source |
| ACH (Automated Clearing House) | Bank of Uganda | Multilateral net settlement for EFTs and cheques, settled in UNISS; a third clearing session with a 15:30 cut-off was added on 7 February 2025 to allow same-day EFT credits. | source |
| EAPS (East African Payment System) | Central banks of the East African Community | Links the RTGS systems of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda for cross-border payments in the members' currencies; inbound values rose 17% to UGX 1.3 trillion in the year to June 2025. | source |
The Uganda payments stack, layer by layer
The providers below are a starting shortlist for each layer, described from their own documentation. Confirm terms, coverage and licences with each provider.
Payout and collection partners
| Provider | What it does in Uganda | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal · our guide | Pays out in Uganda to bank accounts and to mobile wallets such as MTN and Airtel by phone number; the source currency can be UGX or USD and beneficiaries are always paid in UGX. | source |
| Flutterwave · our guide | Mobile money transfer API pays UGX to Airtel and MTN wallets in Uganda. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Lists UGX to bank accounts by ACH (same day), UGX to wallets (instant) and foreign currency wires in 10 currencies (T1). | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Pays UGX or USD by direct bank transfer to Ugandan banks (account numbers of 10 to 14 digits) and to mobile wallets by 12-digit number with country code 256. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Partnered with Stanbic Bank Uganda in September 2023 to deliver cross-border payments as direct deposits to Stanbic accounts and the Flexipay wallet. | source |
Local banking and settlement accounts
| Provider | What it does in Uganda | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stanbic Bank Uganda | Electronic Funds Transfer API on Standard Bank's API Marketplace sends funds from a Stanbic account to other banks in Uganda and returns transaction status. Stanbic's Flexipay wallet also receives TerraPay deposits. | source |
| Equity Bank Uganda (Jenga API) | Jenga API moves funds within Equity Bank across its six markets, Uganda (UGX) included. | source |
FX and liquidity
| Provider | What it does in Uganda | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Uganda official exchange rates | The Bank of Uganda publishes official foreign exchange rates every day, indicative of prevailing market conditions, for major currencies and COMESA currencies. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Accepts UGX or USD as the source currency of a Uganda payout and pays the beneficiary in UGX, so USD balances are converted at payout. | source |
KYC and KYB providers
| Provider | What it does in Uganda | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Smile ID | Connects to 2 ID authorities with more than 29 million records in Uganda, verifies up to 6 Ugandan ID documents and 2 ID numbers including the National ID number, and screens against sanctions, PEP and adverse media lists. | source |
| Dojah | Uganda NIN lookup verifies a National Identification Number and returns the holder's details from the NIRA database. | source |
| Laboremus (Streamline) | NIRA identity retrieval API queries the NIRA database with a 14-character NIN and returns surname, given names, date of birth, living status and gender. | source |
Funding and prefunding UGX payouts
- UNISS takes cross-border (EAPS) payments until 16:00 and makes its final cut-off at 17:00, with the value day ending at 18:00. source
- The ACH's third clearing session, added on 7 February 2025, has a 15:30 cut-off and allows same-day processing of EFTs. source
- MTN MoMo caps a single transaction at UGX 5,000,000 and a wallet balance at UGX 20,000,000. source
- At a special meeting on 14 October 2026 the Bank of Uganda raised the Central Bank Rate by 225 basis points to 12.0%, citing exchange rate volatility and depreciation pressure on the shilling, after raising the cash reserve requirement from 11% to 13.5% from 24 September 2026. source
- Bank of Uganda circulars of April 2022 bar entities licensed under the NPS Act and the Financial Institutions Act from converting virtual assets into fiat or fiat into virtual assets. source
Size the prefund to your runway target with the corridor runway calculator and the Uganda holiday calendar.
Launch checklist
- Plan: launch volume, the prefund sized to your runway target including weekends and holidays, the contracting entity and the funding route.
- Open accounts: shortlist payout partners and a local banking route from the layers above, and prepare the onboarding pack.
- Set up: read access to every new balance, a runway target with alerts, and the corridor in your daily reports.
- Go live: the first prefund and a test payout, then daily monitoring.
Polynopsis turns this into one plan with named approvals, then shows every Uganda partner, bank and wallet in one live position. See how a corridor launch works.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Bank of Uganda licence to pay out remittances?
Cross-border money transfer and remittance services delivered in local currency need prior Bank of Uganda approval or a licence under its payment systems framework, and money remittance businesses apply for a licence under the 2006 forex and remittance regulations. Foreign senders usually pay out through a licensed partner.
Can I pay out to mobile money?
Yes. Mobile money took nearly 61% of 2025 remittance receipts; MTN MoMo accepts up to UGX 5,000,000 per transaction and a UGX 20,000,000 balance, and dLocal, Flutterwave, Nium and Thunes all pay to Ugandan wallets.
When do bank payouts settle?
Through the ACH, whose third session closes at 15:30, or UNISS RTGS, whose final cut-off is 17:00 on business days.
Can stablecoins be used in Uganda?
Uganda has no VASP licence. Virtual asset providers register with the Financial Intelligence Authority for AML purposes only, and April 2022 Bank of Uganda circulars bar licensed banks and payment providers from converting virtual assets into fiat.
How large are remittance inflows to Uganda?
New Bank of Uganda data puts 2025 inflows at US$2.5 billion, about 3.8% of GDP, across more than 16 million transactions, with the United States sending US$702 million.
What is happening to the shilling?
The Bank of Uganda raised its Central Bank Rate to 12.0% at a special meeting on 14 October 2026, citing exchange rate volatility and depreciation pressure, after raising the cash reserve requirement to 13.5% in September.
Other markets
Sources
- bou.or.ug/uploads/Bank_of_Uganda_and_IFAD_launch_Remittance_Dashboard_to_strengthen_transparency_and_financial_inclusion_4843a57817.pdf
- api.worldbank.org/v2/country/UGA/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT
- bou.or.ug/uploads/Integrated_Annual_Report_2024_2025_9bfa4a9ed6.pdf
- remittanceprices.worldbank.org/corridor/United-Kingdom/Uganda
- media.ulii.org/media/legislation/126840/source_file/fd5bc0639cc6d63b/2020-15.pdf
- bou.or.ug/uploads/Revised_BOU_National_Payment_Systems_Oversight_Framework_2025_698b3e9745.pdf
- businesslicences.go.ug/kcfinder/upload/files/Guidelines-for-the-licensing-and-operation-of-Forex-Bureaus-and-Money-Remmittance-companies-2018.pdf
- bou.or.ug/financial_infrastructure_innovation
- fia.go.ug/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/National-ML.TF-Risk-Assessment-on-VAs-and-VASPs-for-Uganda-compressed.pdf
- www.bouganda.com/bouwebsite/bouwebsitecontent/payment_systems/Schedules/SCHEDULE-D.pdf
- www.mtn.co.ug/tariffs/mobile-money-tariffs
- bou.or.ug/uploads/MPS_October_2026_cdc1de720f.pdf
- docs.dlocal.com/docs/uganda-payouts-v3
- developer.flutterwave.com/docs/mobile-money
- atlas.nium.com/country/uganda
- docs.thunes.com/money-transfer/v2
- www.terrapay.com/media/terrapay-stanbic-uganda-partner-to-enhance-cross-border-payments
- developer.standardbank.com/APIMarketplace/s/communityapi/a6tTr00000003SXIAY/api-marketplaceelectronicfundstransfer
- developer.jengahq.io/guides/jenga-api/send-money/within-equity
- www.bou.or.ug/interest_rates_exchange_rates
- smile.id/countries/uganda
- docs.dojah.io/api-reference/individual-verification/uganda/nin
- api-docs.streamline.laboremus.ug/person-kyc/national-id-verification/v2/create-id-data-retrieval-request.html
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.