Kivu Finance: compare banks, exchange rates, loans and insurance in Rwanda

Part of Kivu Super App (kivu.site). In the app this section is called Kivu Finance; on the home screen its icon is named Banks & Insurance.

Open Kivu

Kivu Finance is the section of Kivu Super App where you compare financial companies in Rwanda in one place: banks, forex bureaus, loan and mortgage offers and insurance companies. Each card shows what the company offers, its opening hours, its place on the map and a phone number. Kivu Super App is a free app made in Kigali, Rwanda.

Kivu Finance is a directory for comparing, not a bank. Kivu does not open accounts, does not give loans, does not exchange money, does not sell insurance and does not handle your money. You choose a company in Kivu and then deal with that company directly — at its office, by phone or on its own website.

Key facts

Where it works	Rwanda. Open kivu.site in a phone browser and choose Banks & Insurance.
Price for users	Free
Commission	None. Kivu takes nothing from a loan, an exchange or an insurance policy.
Tabs	Banks, Forex, Loans, Mortgage, Insurance
Currencies in the Forex tab	6: USD, EUR, CNY, KES, UGX, TZS — a buy rate and a sell rate for each, in Rwandan francs (RWF)
Reference rate	The Forex tab shows the rate of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) for the chosen currency at the top, to compare with
Loans and mortgages	Interest rate, maximum amount, minimum down payment and longest term — when the bank publishes them. When a number is not published, the card says to ask the bank. The tabs also show the average bank lending rate and the central bank rate from BNR.
Insurance types	Health, vehicle, property, life, travel, business, agriculture, other
Car and motorcycle insurance prices	A table of yearly prices by vehicle type and a small calculator, built from the motor tariffs that insurers publish
Tools	Loan calculator (monthly payment), a map of all places, sorting by distance and by what is open now
How fresh the rates are	Rates that have not been updated for 7 days are hidden on the card and marked as outdated
How many cards	49 on 10 October 2026: 11 bank branches, 5 forex bureaus, 8 loan offers, 8 mortgage offers, 17 insurers. Most of them were added by Kivu from public information.
How you contact a company	The phone number on the card and the company's office on the map. If the company manages its card itself, there is also a chat inside Kivu (the "Apply" button).
Check before publishing	Every new card is checked automatically by AI before it appears
Paid options	One optional boost for a card: 2,000 RWF for 7 days. Everything else is free.

How to use it, step by step

If you want to change money

Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and open Finance.
Open the Forex tab and choose the currency: USD, EUR, CNY, KES, UGX or TZS.
Look at the line "National Bank of Rwanda (BNR)" at the top: it is the reference rate for that day.
Sort the list by the buy rate or the sell rate, or tap "Nearby" to see the closest places first (the app asks for your location).
Open a card to see the rates, the opening hours and whether the place is open now. Tap "Map" to see where it is and "Show phone" to call.
Call or go to the bureau and ask for the rate again before you hand over money: the rate at the counter is the one that counts.

If you are looking for a loan, a mortgage or insurance

Open Finance and choose the tab: Loans, Mortgage or Insurance.
In Loans and Mortgage, look at the line at the top with the average bank lending rate and the central bank rate. It helps you see whether an offer is high or low.
Sort the offers by the lowest rate; mortgages can also be sorted by the lowest down payment and the longest term.
Tap the calculator icon, enter the amount, the yearly interest and the number of months, and see the monthly payment.
In Insurance, choose the type (for example vehicle or health). For a car or a motorcycle the app shows a price table and "Estimate your price".
Open a card, tap "Show phone" and call the company, or go to its office. The contract is always signed with the company itself, never inside Kivu.
If the company manages its card itself, the card also has an "Apply" button: it opens a chat with the company's account. It is a message, not a loan application form. Cards added by Kivu have no such button: call the number on the card.

If you represent a bank, a forex bureau or an insurer

Open kivu.site, sign in with a free account and open Finance.
Tap the "My places" icon, then "Add new listing".
Choose the category: bank branch, forex bureau, loan center, mortgage provider or insurance agency.
Fill in the name, a description, the address, a pin on the map, the phone number, the working hours and what you have on site (parking, ATM, accessible entrance). You can add a logo (up to 2 MB).
Add your numbers: buy and sell rates for the 6 currencies, or your loan rate and maximum amount, or your mortgage rate and minimum down payment, or the types of insurance you sell.
Tap "Submit Application". The card is checked automatically and then appears in the list and on the map.
Keep the rates fresh. When you save new rates, hours or a phone number, they show at once. If you change the name or the logo, the card is checked again.
People write to you in Kivu Chat or call the number on the card. You serve them in your own office, under your own licence.

What it costs

For people Kivu Finance is free: comparing rates and offers, the calculators, the map, calls and chat cost nothing. Kivu takes no commission from any loan, exchange or policy.

For companies adding and updating a card is free. The only paid thing is an optional boost for a card that is already published:

Boost	What it does	Period	Price
Premium placement	The card is pinned to the top of its tab and gets a highlighted design and a badge	7 days	2,000 RWF

Boost

What it does

Period

Price

Premium placement

The card is pinned to the top of its tab and gets a highlighted design and a badge

7 days

2,000 RWF

With the boost the company can choose one label for the card at no extra cost: "⭐ Premium", "🔥 Hot Deal", "⚡ Instant Service" or "💎 Featured". A boosted card is also marked "Promoted".
These labels are paid advertising chosen by the company. They are not a rating and not a recommendation from Kivu.
If several companies pay, all of them are shown at the top; the one that paid earlier is shown higher.
The company pays inside the app with MTN Mobile Money and confirms the payment with the MoMo PIN on the phone.
A boost changes only the position and the look of a card. It does not change the rates shown, it does not skip the check, and a "verified" mark cannot be bought.
Only one boost at a time: a new boost can be bought only after the current one ends.

What is good about it

One screen instead of many websites: banks, forex bureaus, loans, mortgages and insurers side by side.
Buy and sell rates for 6 currencies, with the National Bank of Rwanda rate next to them for comparison.
Old rates are not shown as current: after 7 days without an update they are hidden and marked as outdated.
Loan and mortgage offers show only numbers that the banks publish themselves, next to the average bank lending rate.
Car and motorcycle insurance prices can be estimated before you call an insurer.
A map, "Nearby" and "Open Now" help you find a branch or an ATM that is close and open.
Free for people and free for companies to list; no commission.
The whole app is under 400 KB and opens in the phone browser, so it works on cheap phones and slow mobile internet.
The app works in 11 languages, including English, Kinyarwanda, French and Swahili.

Limits, and what protects you

What to know	What protects you
Kivu is not a bank, a forex bureau or an insurer. It cannot give you a loan, change your money or sell you a policy.	You always deal with the licensed company itself. Kivu only helps you compare and find it.
Rates and prices on a card are information, not an offer. The real rate can be different when you arrive.	Each card shows when rates are outdated. Ask for the rate again at the counter or by phone before you pay or sign.
Most cards were added by Kivu from information that banks, insurers and the National Bank of Rwanda publish. The company does not manage such a card, so it has no "Apply" button and no chat.	Use the phone number on the card or go to the office. A company can add and manage its own card for free.
Loan and mortgage numbers come from published tariffs and are checked for changes about once a month. Your own rate depends on the bank's decision about you.	Use the numbers to choose whom to call, and ask the bank for a written offer before you decide.
Insurance prices in the calculator are base prices from published tariffs. The final price can be higher.	Ask the insurer for an exact quote. The calculator is there so that you know the usual price before you call.
Not every bank and bureau in Rwanda is listed yet, and for some banks exchange rates are not shown.	The National Bank of Rwanda rate is always there as a reference. New companies are added over time, and any company can add itself.
A card at the top with a "Premium" or "Featured" label is a paid advertisement.	Boosted cards are marked "Promoted". Compare the numbers, not the labels.
Kivu does not give financial advice and does not tell you which loan or policy to take.	Compare several offers, read the contract, and ask the company about every fee before you sign.
You need a free account to open Finance.	Signing in is free. Phone numbers are shown only to signed-in users, when they tap "Show phone".

What to know

What protects you

Kivu is not a bank, a forex bureau or an insurer. It cannot give you a loan, change your money or sell you a policy.

You always deal with the licensed company itself. Kivu only helps you compare and find it.

Rates and prices on a card are information, not an offer. The real rate can be different when you arrive.

Each card shows when rates are outdated. Ask for the rate again at the counter or by phone before you pay or sign.

Most cards were added by Kivu from information that banks, insurers and the National Bank of Rwanda publish. The company does not manage such a card, so it has no "Apply" button and no chat.

Use the phone number on the card or go to the office. A company can add and manage its own card for free.

Loan and mortgage numbers come from published tariffs and are checked for changes about once a month. Your own rate depends on the bank's decision about you.

Use the numbers to choose whom to call, and ask the bank for a written offer before you decide.

Insurance prices in the calculator are base prices from published tariffs. The final price can be higher.

Ask the insurer for an exact quote. The calculator is there so that you know the usual price before you call.

Not every bank and bureau in Rwanda is listed yet, and for some banks exchange rates are not shown.

The National Bank of Rwanda rate is always there as a reference. New companies are added over time, and any company can add itself.

A card at the top with a "Premium" or "Featured" label is a paid advertisement.

Boosted cards are marked "Promoted". Compare the numbers, not the labels.

Kivu does not give financial advice and does not tell you which loan or policy to take.

Compare several offers, read the contract, and ask the company about every fee before you sign.

You need a free account to open Finance.

Signing in is free. Phone numbers are shown only to signed-in users, when they tap "Show phone".

What Kivu Finance does not do

It does not open bank accounts, give loans or approve loan applications.
It does not exchange currency and does not set exchange rates.
It does not sell insurance policies and does not handle claims.
It does not hold, send or receive money.
It does not give financial advice.
It does not promise that a rate on a card is still valid at the counter.
It does not sell "verified" marks.

How Kivu earns from this section

From Finance, Kivu earns only when a company chooses to buy the 7-day boost for its card (2,000 RWF). People pay nothing, and Kivu takes no commission from loans, exchanges or policies.

Later, if users need them, Kivu plans subscriptions for businesses and advertising. Taking a percentage of loans, exchanges or policies is not planned: Kivu does not handle that money.

Questions and answers

Where can I compare exchange rates in Rwanda?

In Kivu Finance, tab Forex. Choose USD, EUR, CNY, KES, UGX or TZS and you see the buy and sell rates of the listed banks and forex bureaus in Rwandan francs, with the National Bank of Rwanda rate at the top for comparison. Rates older than 7 days are hidden and marked as outdated. Always ask for the rate again at the counter.

Is Kivu Finance a bank? Can I get a loan in the app?

No. Kivu is not a bank and does not give loans. Kivu Finance shows loan and mortgage offers from banks so that you can compare them, with a calculator for the monthly payment. To get a loan you contact the bank itself and sign the contract with the bank.

How do I compare loan or mortgage interest rates in Rwanda?

Open Kivu Finance and choose Loans or Mortgage. At the top you see the average bank lending rate and the central bank rate from the National Bank of Rwanda. Below are the offers, which you can sort by the lowest rate; mortgages also by the lowest down payment and the longest term. The numbers are those the banks publish; your own rate is decided by the bank.

How much does car or motorcycle insurance cost in Rwanda?

In Kivu Finance open Insurance and choose the vehicle type. The app shows a table of yearly prices for third-party and full cover and a small calculator where you enter the vehicle value and age. These are base prices from tariffs that insurers publish; the final price from the insurer can be higher.

Are the rates in Kivu Finance up to date?

Each company updates its own card, and for some large banks Kivu copies the exchange rates they publish, once a day. If rates on a card have not been updated for 7 days, the app hides them and marks them as outdated. A rate in the app is information; the rate that counts is the one you get at the counter.

Is Kivu Finance free? Does Kivu take a commission?

It is free for users, and Kivu takes no commission from loans, currency exchange or insurance. Companies can add a card for free. The only paid option is a boost that pins a company's card to the top for 7 days for 2,000 RWF; such cards are marked "Promoted".

How can a bank, a forex bureau or an insurer get listed on Kivu?

Sign in at kivu.site, open Finance, tap "My places" and "Add new listing". Choose the category, add the name, address, map pin, phone, hours and your rates or offers, then tap "Submit Application". After an automatic check the card appears. Listing is free.

What does the "Apply" button do?

On a card that the company manages itself, it opens a chat inside Kivu with the company's account, so that you can ask a question. It is not a loan or insurance application, and Kivu does not pass your data to the bank. Cards added by Kivu have no "Apply" button: call the number on the card.

Related sections of Kivu

Machinery: Tractors, trucks and other heavy equipment; a buyer can leave a leasing request.
Market: Free classified ads, including real estate and vehicles.
Hotels: Hotels and guest houses with prices and booking requests.
Chat: Private chats, groups, channels and calls inside Kivu.