Access Bank Rwanda has rebranded as part of the efforts aimed at creating a more open and efficient institution to serve customers better.

"We changed our brand image as part of a five-year plan that seeks to strengthen our operations and service delivery,” Jean Claude Karayenzi, the Access Bank Rwanda managing director told The New Times.

The bank, a subsidiary of Nigeria-based Access Bank Plc, changed its logo background from blue to white.

Karayenzi said the bank targets expanding outlets in rural areas by working with sector savings and credit cooperatives (Umurenge Saccos) and increasing the number of electronic payment platforms. He also announced plans of increasing the firm’s share capital by $10 million next year. The bank’s share capital is  currently at $13 million, he added.

"Rwanda has big projects which need us to have a strong capital base to fund them. We have also been looking at lending to small and medium enterprises... but our immediate priority is the retail market where we have seen huge potential,” Karayenzi said.

While launching the bank’s new corporate look, National Bank of Rwanda governor, John Rwangombwa, urged the banks to come up with innovative products to attract clients and grow their deposits. He urged the bank to embrace electronic banking, saying the innovation is ‘revolutionising’ the banking industry by easing operations and enhancing efficiency. "We still have a problem of being a predominantly cash economy, but we are working with stakeholders to make Rwanda a cashless economy,” he said.