Centenary Bank has officially launched Gonza Pay a secure digital wallet aimed at bridging the gap between cash transactions and digital finance to boost financial inclusion in Uganda.
According to the bank officials the new platform does not require users to hold a Centenary Bank account, making it accessible to the general public, including informal traders and rural populations.
Centenary Bank Executive Director Joseph Kiwanuka Balikuddembe, highlighted Gonza Pay as a significant milestone in the Bank’s digital transformation journey and commitment to financial inclusion.
He noted that as Uganda’s economy becomes increasingly digital, many individuals, businesses, savings groups, and informal traders still face challenges accessing convenient and affordable financial services. “It is these realities that informed the development of Gonza Pay,” he said.
“The platform has been designed to remove friction from everyday transactions and provide a smoother, simpler, and more convenient financial experience.”he added.
He further emphasized that Gonza Pay is accessible to both Centenary Bank customers and non-customers, reflecting the Bank’s commitment to expanding access to digital financial services and supporting broader participation in Uganda’s digital economy.
Speaking during the launch in Kampala Steven Kirenga, General Manager Product, Business Development & Customer Experience at Centenary Technology Services, emphasized that Gonza Pay was built to deepen financial inclusion by making digital financial services more accessible and meaningful for everyday Ugandans.
He noted that while many Ugandans have access to digital financial services, the challenge remains in how deeply they can use them to improve their livelihoods. “We are saying that inclusion must be meaningful. It should go beyond depositing and withdrawing money to helping people save, transact, grow their businesses, and access opportunities,” he said.
Drawing on over 43 years of serving Ugandans, Steven explained that Gonza Pay was designed to address real customer challenges by offering an easy-to-use platform that simplifies payments, savings, bill payments, and other everyday financial transactions.
According to Bank of Uganda data, the value of electronic money transactions grew 28 percent in 2025, rising to $100.3 billion, or 366 trillion Ugandan shillings, from $75 billion, or 285.9 trillion Ugandan shillings, the previous year. Transaction volumes also increased 17.3 percent to 9.1 billion.
Despite these gains, many Ugandans still face barriers to formal financial services, with rural residents often facing high transit costs to visit physical branches and informal traders operating primarily in cash.
Tumubweine Twinemanzi, Executive Director of national payments systems at the Bank of Uganda, represented Deputy Governor Augustus Nuwagaba at the event. Twinemanzi noted that digital wallets support the national agenda of expanding participation in the formal economy.
Centenary Bank Uganda is the country’s leading commercial microfinance bank, serving over 3 million customers with an asset base of UGX 8.61 trillion. Headquartered at Mapeera House in Kampala, its mission focuses heavily on financial inclusion, rural development, and empowering women, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs
