I&M Bank Rwanda Plc has highlighted opportunities available through its Kataza loan facility, which enables eligible entrepreneurs, particularly women and young people aged 18 to 35, to access loans of up to RWF 25 million without collateral.
The facility targets small and medium-sized business owners operating in tourism and hospitality, as well as farmers whose activities are linked to tourism. The bank promoted the facility on October 16, 2026, during a visit to entrepreneurs operating small and medium-sized businesses in Muhanga District.
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Kataza Offers Loans at a 9% Interest Rate
Through Kataza, eligible entrepreneurs can access loans of up to RWF 25 million without collateral, repayable at an interest rate of 9%. This is lower than the interest rates on ordinary loans, which range between 17% and 19%, according to information shared during the activity.
I&M Bank Rwanda provides Kataza in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD). The facility aims to improve access to finance for women and young people running small and medium-sized businesses.
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Kwihaza Provides Loans of Up to RWF 150 Million
During the same activity, I&M Bank introduced entrepreneurs to another financing facility known as Kwihaza. The programme supports tomato and onion farmers, avocado farmers, fish farmers and businesses selling fish feed by offering loans of up to RWF 150 million without collateral, at an interest rate of 8%.
Kwihaza is provided in partnership with Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR), an institution that promotes access to financial services. The two facilities are intended to help eligible entrepreneurs and farmers access capital to support their business activities and expand their operations.
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Bank Trains Entrepreneurs in Business Management
Alongside promoting the loan facilities, I&M Bank Rwanda, in partnership with Le Village de la Femme, an organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting women entrepreneurs, organised training sessions to help business owners manage their activities professionally.
Gertrude Majyambere, the Partnerships Manager at I&M Bank Rwanda Plc, said the initiative aimed to educate entrepreneurs about professional business practices and help them prepare their businesses to access financing.
She said, “Although we provide support and advice, we often find that entrepreneurs have many things they have not yet organized or put in order. These include not knowing how to separate their personal accounts from their business accounts and not knowing how much they have invested or how much profit they have made.”
Majyambere explained that understanding these aspects of business management is important because it helps entrepreneurs organise their operations and access loans more easily. She added that Muhanga was selected because of the continued growth in business activities in the district.
She said: “The reason we organize these activities is that some people lack information and do not know that there are loans with low interest rates. Others do not know that they can even obtain loans without collateral. This gives us an opportunity to increase our customer base while enabling the District to benefit from having more entrepreneurs.”
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Entrepreneurs Welcome Access to Financing
Mukarugwiro Florida, who sells avocados wholesale and retail in Muhanga, said the training had provided valuable information about financing opportunities for business owners who struggle to access capital. She explained that entrepreneurs sometimes need money to expand their businesses but face difficulties obtaining loans because they lack collateral or encounter complicated application procedures.
She said: “There are times when we need capital and cannot find a place to apply for a loan. When you apply, they ask you for collateral, which you may not have, or they take you through complicated procedures before you can obtain it. However, I have seen that I&M Bank is going to make things easier for us because they told us that they will assess the businesses we operate without requiring collateral.” The initiative is expected to help entrepreneurs understand available financing options and improve their business management practices.
Kataza Targets Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
I&M Bank launched Kataza in April 2024, committing to support 500 small and medium-sized businesses over three years, with the aim of helping them create more than 15,000 jobs.
The programme forms part of efforts to expand access to finance for entrepreneurs who may struggle to secure conventional loans. Meanwhile, figures from the National Bank of Rwanda released in October 2026 show that banks provided loans worth more than RWF 7,000 billion during the first six months of 2026, with 5% allocated to agriculture.
