Sending money from the United Kingdom to Uganda: the payments stack
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Uganda cost 4.64% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 34 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Uganda typically run over Mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money), UNISS (Uganda National Interbank Settlement System, RTGS); between now and the end of 2027 there are 12 weekdays when banks in the United Kingdom are closed but Uganda keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.64% of GBP 120 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.65% across 32 services |
| Collect in United Kingdom | Faster Payments, CHAPS, Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) |
| Pay out in Uganda | Mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money), UNISS (Uganda National Interbank Settlement System, RTGS), ACH (Automated Clearing House), EAPS (East African Payment System) |
What it costs to send GBP 120
The World Bank surveyed 34 services sending from the United Kingdom to Uganda from 8 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.64% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.65%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United Kingdom
- Money remittance and the execution of credit transfers and direct debits are payment services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017; a firm providing them must be an authorised payment institution or a small payment institution unless it is already another type of payment service provider or is exempt. Issuing e-money requires authorisation or registration under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. source
- Initial capital for an authorised payment institution is 20,000 euros for money remittance only, 50,000 euros for payment initiation and 125,000 euros for the services in paragraphs 1(a) to (e) of Schedule 1, such as executing payment transactions (PSRs 2017, Schedule 3). source
- An authorised e-money institution needs initial capital of at least 350,000 euros; a small e-money institution with average outstanding e-money of 500,000 euros or more holds at least 2% of that amount (EMRs 2011, Schedule 2). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United Kingdom.
The payout side: Uganda
| Payout partner | 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 |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Uganda: launching payments in Uganda.
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 |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 12 dates when the United Kingdom is closed and Uganda is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 6 dates when Uganda is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United Kingdom | Uganda | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 26 Jan 2027 | Open | NRM Liberation Day | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 16 Feb 2027 | Open | Archbishop Janani Luwum Day | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Open | International Women's Day | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Open | Idd el-Fitr | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Good Friday | Both closed |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | Easter Monday | Both closed |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 3 Jun 2027 | Open | Uganda Martyrs' Day | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 9 Jun 2027 | Open | National Heroes' Day | Uganda banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Uganda the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United Kingdom and Uganda. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Faster Payments is available to customers 24/7, but net settlement between participants takes place in the Bank of England RTGS system three times each business day. source
- CHAPS does not run on weekends or England and Wales bank holidays, and the customer payment deadline is 17:40, so any same-day sterling funding of an overseas account must be instructed before then. source
- 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
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United Kingdom, the payout partners and banks in Uganda and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Uganda balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Uganda?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending GBP 120 at 4.64% in Q3 2025, across 34 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.65%.
Which rails pay out in Uganda?
Local payouts run over Mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money), UNISS (Uganda National Interbank Settlement System, RTGS), ACH (Automated Clearing House), EAPS (East African Payment System).
When do I need to prefund Uganda payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 12 weekdays when the United Kingdom is closed and Uganda is open, the first on Mon 30 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- Public Holidays Act (revised edition, 31 Dec 2023) · Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII)
- Embassy holidays · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda (Mombasa Consulate)
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.