# Bank of Kigali (BK)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bk-rwanda
> research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Bank of Kigali — official](https://www.bk.rw/)

## Overview

**Bank of Kigali (BK)** is **Rwanda's largest commercial bank by assets** + **~33% Rwandan banking market share** + **~600k+ customers** + **dual-listed RSE: BK + NSE: BKG** <sup>[1][1], [Rwanda report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/RW)</sup>. **2025 baseline**: BK Rwanda's largest commercial bank by assets + ~33% Rwandan banking market share.

## History

**Dec 22 1966 — Bank of Kigali founded** as joint venture of Banque Bruxelles Lambert Belgium + Rwandan government.

**1967 — Bank of Kigali Rwandan + Banque Bruxelles Lambert Belgian operations**.

**Sep 1 2011 — Bank of Kigali Group RSE IPO under ticker BK** distinctive Rwandan banking listing.

**Nov 30 2018 — Bank of Kigali NSE Nairobi dual-listing under ticker BKG** distinctive Rwandan-Kenyan banking dual-listing.

**2014 — BK Mobile Banking app launch** distinctive Rwandan mobile banking strategy.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Bank of Kigali Group Plc** (RSE: BK; NSE: BKG; Rwanda's largest commercial bank by assets).

**Major shareholders**: **Rwandan government (Public Service Pension Fund of Rwanda + Agaciro Development Fund + Government of Rwanda) ~37% controlling + Rwandan retail + institutional + foreign investors + post-Sep 1 2011 RSE IPO + Nov 30 2018 NSE dual-listing**.

**Regulators**: **BNR (National Bank of Rwanda)**.

## Technical integration

BK Mobile Banking app (iOS + Android; ~600k+ customers) + bk.rw online + BK branch network across Rwanda + BK Visa + Mastercard cards; Rwanda IBAN + R-Switch (Rwanda National Switch) + SmartCash MTN (partial; MTN Mobile Money integration).

## Implementations & partners

**Major Rwandan banking + payments competitors**: Equity Bank Rwanda (Equity Bank Rwanda; Kenyan Equity Group subsidiary) + KCB Bank Rwanda (KCB Bank Rwanda; Kenyan KCB Group subsidiary) + I&M Bank Rwanda (I&M Bank Rwanda) + Ecobank Rwanda (Ecobank Rwanda; pan-African Ecobank Transnational Inc subsidiary) + [MTN MoMo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mtn-momo) (MTN MoMo Rwanda mobile money) + [Airtel Money](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/airtel-money) (Airtel Money Rwanda) + Goswift (Goswift Rwandan fintech).

**Regulator**: BNR.

## Status

**Active, Rwanda's largest commercial bank by assets + ~33% Rwandan banking market share + ~600k+ customers + dual-listed RSE: BK + NSE: BKG** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Bank of Kigali Group Plc (RSE: BK; NSE: BKG)** since Dec 22 1966 Bank of Kigali founding as joint venture of Banque Bruxelles Lambert Belgium + Rwandan government + Sep 1 2011 BK RSE IPO + Nov 30 2018 BK NSE Nairobi dual-listing + 2014 BK Mobile Banking app launch.
- **BNR regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.bk.rw/ "Bank of Kigali — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Kigali "Bank of Kigali — Wikipedia"
[rw-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/RW

- [1] [Bank of Kigali — official][1]
- [2] [Bank of Kigali — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[Rwanda report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/RW)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/RW-rwanda.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [bk-rwanda.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/bk-rwanda). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.