A remittance platform built for the African diaspora — Rwanda first. $2 flat fee + 0.8% margin. What you send arrives complete, unchanged, dependable.
The problem
Of the $502M flowing into Rwanda from the diaspora, an estimated $42M disappears in fees and hidden exchange rate markups — money that should reach families, not intermediaries.
Rwanda diaspora remittances in 2024 — up 83% since 2020. A community sending more every year, and paying more every year to do it.
Average cost to send money to Africa — among the highest globally. Hidden in exchange rates. Hidden in fees. Taken without consent.
Kivu's effective cost. $2 flat fee + disclosed 0.8% margin. Every cost shown before commitment. Nothing hidden. Ever.
Why Kivu
Not just cheaper — structurally more honest. Every decision in Kivu's architecture is a decision against the status quo.
Before you send a single dollar, you see exactly what your family receives — versus NALA, Remitly, WorldRemit, and Western Union. Live. In real time. Before signing up. Trust earned before anything is asked.
$2 flat fee + 0.8% disclosed margin. That is it. No exchange rate manipulation. No hidden charges. No fine print. What you send arrives complete, unchanged, dependable.
MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, and Bank of Kigali — your family receives instantly or within hours. Real-time transfer tracking from sent to delivered. Always know where your money is.
Kivu AI speaks English, Français, Kiswahili, and Ikinyarwanda. Knows your transfer history. Answers questions 24/7. Acts on your behalf. Built for the diaspora, in their languages.
How it works
Simple by design. Powerful by architecture.
Enter your amount and see exactly what your family receives — compared live to every major provider. No sign-up required to see the truth.
Create your account, verify your identity once, add your recipient. Kivu handles the rest — conversion, delivery, confirmation — automatically.
MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, or Bank of Kigali — your family receives exactly what was promised. Every franc. No deductions. No surprises.
The app
A complete, sophisticated app experience — from first comparison to confirmed delivery. Built for the diaspora. Built for Rwanda. Every detail designed to make sending feel honest, instant, and whole.
Full user journey from onboarding through transfer confirmation, impact tracking, and AI-assisted multilingual support. Every flow designed and built — nothing missing.
FinCEN compliant identity verification built in. Powered by licensed FinTech infrastructure. Bank-grade encryption throughout.
Kivu AI responds in English, Français, Kiswahili, and Ikinyarwanda. Knows your transfer history. Available 24/7. Acts on your behalf.
Every transfer tracked. Every franc accounted for. Users see their cumulative impact — how much more their family received versus any competitor, over time.
Our vision
"The African diaspora deserves a remittance service that is honest about every cost, built for their culture, and designed to make most of the money reach the people they love."
Rwandan-American. 17 years in the United States. Active in the diaspora community. College professor transitioning into community-oriented entrepreneurship.
I watch my community send money home every month — and I watch the fees take more than they should, invisibly, without consent. I decided to build something different.
"A drop. Then another. Then another. Until there is a lake."
Partnership
Kivu is building the infrastructure layer for African diaspora remittances. We are actively seeking institutional partners on the Rwanda side.
Primary Rwanda-side disbursement through bank Open API and mobile money infrastructure — bank accounts and mobile money. Fast, reliable, scalable.
"Send to myself" — diaspora members build savings toward land, property, and business goals in Rwanda. A new, reliable deposit segment with demonstrated income stability.
Transfer history as creditworthiness signal — loan products for diaspora members previously invisible to credit systems. A natural evolution of the partnership.
Kivu is moving toward beta. Join the waitlist and be among the first to send money home — whole, more, honest, instant.
No spam. No fees to join. Just early access.