MTN Rwanda’s Mobile Money Users Reach 6.4 Million as Data Use Surges

MTN Rwanda’s latest half-year results show how deeply mobile services are becoming part of Rwanda’s economy. In the first six months of 2026, the company saw strong growth in Mobile Money, data use and its overall subscriber base.

Mobile Money Drives Growth

MTN Rwanda reported 6.4 million active Mobile Money users at the end of June, up 14.9% from the same period last year.

The number of active Mobile Money merchants also increased by 19.2% to 682,000, showing the growing role of mobile payments in businesses across the country.

Mobile Money revenue grew 31.3% year-on-year to Rwf90.1 billion, making up 53.8% of MTN Rwanda’s total service revenue.

The company also reported 28.1% growth in advanced Mobile Money services, including lending and remittances.

The value of transactions is growing even faster. According to The New Times, Mobile Money transaction value increased 43.9% to Rwf29.2 trillion, while transaction volume grew 28.5%.

Data Consumption Is Rising

MTN Rwanda ended the period with 8.7 million subscribers, representing an 11.4% year-on-year increase.

Active data subscribers reached 2.7 million, up 14.5%. But data traffic grew much faster, rising 63.6% during the period.

MTN said increased smartphone adoption and greater use of data contributed to the growth. Data revenue rose 14.3% to Rwf26.7 billion, while 4G users increased 40.9% to 1.9 million.

What It Means for Rwanda’s Digital Economy

MTN Rwanda’s service revenue increased 21.9% to Rwf167.5 billion, while profit after tax reached Rwf17.2 billion, a 191.2% increase from the same period last year.

But beyond the financial results, the numbers point to a broader shift.

More people are using mobile services to communicate, access the internet, make payments and use financial products. For Rwanda’s startups and digital businesses, that creates a larger market for services built around mobile connectivity.

The challenge now is turning that growing digital usage into more products, businesses and opportunities for Rwandans.

Source: MTN Rwanda - H1 2026 Financial Results