The Rwanda Bankers’ Association (RBA) invites researchers, academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and fintech innovators to submit papers for the 2026 Annual Banking Research Conference under the theme: “The Pursuit of an Integrated Financial System: Harnessing Payments to Drive Sector-Wide Impact and Inclusion.”

Background

Rwanda’s financial sector has made significant progress in digitalization, interoperability, and financial inclusion through innovations in payments, mobile money, fintech, and supportive regulatory reforms. Payments infrastructure – once considered a supporting function – has become a strategic pillar shaping credit access, SME financing, data-driven innovation, and regulatory oversight.

As initiatives such as interoperable payment platforms, real-time payments, mobile money–bank integration, and cross-border payment systems continue to expand, there is a growing need to understand how payments can be leveraged as system-wide infrastructure to deepen integration across banks, fintechs, MFIs, insurers, and regional markets.

The 2026 RBA Annual Banking Research Conference seeks to advance research that moves beyond isolated innovations to examine payments as a catalyst for financial sector transformation.

Key Topics of Interest

Submissions are encouraged on (but not limited to) the following themes:

Digital Payments & Interoperability

• National payment switches and interoperable platforms
• Real-time and instant payment systems
• Digital public infrastructure and open finance
• Economics and efficiency of payment rails
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Payments, Innovation & Financial Sector Competitiveness

• Fintech–bank collaboration models
• Merchant payments, cards, and QR ecosystems
• Cybersecurity, fraud management, and operational resilience
• RegTech and SupTech for payment system oversight
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Inclusion Through Payments

• Payments as an entry point to formal financial services
• Payment-enabled credit scoring and SME financing
• Gender, youth, and rural financial inclusion
• Agent networks and last-mile connectivity
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Cross-Border Payments & Regional Integration

• PAPSS and regional payment interoperability
• Remittances, trade payments, and diaspora finance
• Payments supporting regional trade and investment
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Data, Governance & Ecosystem Connectivity

• Payment data for credit markets and supervision
• Data-sharing frameworks and consumer protection
• Governance models for integrated financial systems

The conference places strong emphasis on high-quality research with clear policy relevance, market applicability, and practical insights.

Honorarium and Publication

• An honorarium will be paid for each paper selected for presentation at the conference.
• All accepted papers will be peer-reviewed and published in the RBA Working Paper Series – Volume III.
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Submission Requirements

Submissions may be:

• A full paper (maximum 8,000 words), or
• A concept paper (maximum 2,500 words).
• The submissions must be strongly aligned with the conference theme and key thematic areas.

Each submission must include:

• A 300-word abstract, and
• A brief author(s) biography(s) (maximum one page), including professional background and research experience.