FINANCIAL INCLUSION (UGNEWSLINE) – Stakeholders in the transport sector have called for increased financial inclusion among taxi operators to help them develop a saving culture and access affordable financing to grow their businesses.
The call was made by Uganda Transport Operators Federation (UTOF) leader Haji Rashid Ssekindi during the launch of Pearl Bank’s new campaign, dubbed Wendi Ku Win, at the Old Taxi Park in Kampala.
The campaign, launched in partnership with UTOF, seeks to onboard more taxi operators onto Pearl Bank’s Wendi mobile wallet, while encouraging the adoption of digital financial services and promoting a culture of saving among transport operators.
Speaking at the launch, Pearl Bank Executive Director Andrew Kabeera said the initiative is also intended to ease the financial burden on taxi operators amid rising fuel prices by enabling them to make fuel payments through Wendi without incurring transaction charges.
Kabeera said the bank also intends to educate taxi operators on the benefits of joining Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs), which can provide them with access to affordable financing to support their daily operations.
He explained that SACCOs can help operators obtain money to start their daily work and repay the loans in the evening after earning from their transport businesses.
Beyond promoting financial inclusion, the Wendi Ku Win campaign is designed to encourage customers to embrace digital transactions by rewarding those who transact more than Shs10,000 through the mobile wallet.
Customers who meet the requirements will stand a chance to win weekly prizes, including fuel vouchers worth Shs30,000, Shs50,000 and Shs100,000, smartphones, household appliances such as microwaves and blenders, as well as cash rewards worth Shs100,000.
Kabeera said the campaign would encourage both existing and new customers to use Wendi for various financial services, including fuel payments, bill payments, money transfers, savings, merchant payments, government collections and Western Union transfers.
“We believe that during this campaign, both existing and new customers will be able to interact with the Wendi platform as they make fuel payments, pay bills, make money transfers, save and conduct other transactions, which is the right step towards ushering more Ugandans into the digital money economy,” Kabeera said.
He added that Wendi offers a savings proposition with an annual interest rate of 12.5 per cent, allowing customers to select savings plans that suit their financial goals.
The platform also features a SACCO management system that enables groups to save digitally and monitor their contributions in real time, potentially improving transparency and accountability in group savings.
The campaign comes amid growing adoption of digital financial services in Uganda. According to the Bank of Uganda’s July 2025 report, active mobile banking users increased by 16 per cent, from 2.17 million in March 2024 to 2.5 million in March 2025.
Over the same period, mobile banking transaction volumes grew by eight per cent, from 27.7 million to 29.9 million, while transaction values rose by 42.4 per cent, from Shs9.9 trillion to Shs14.2 trillion.
The figures highlight the growing role of digital financial platforms in extending formal financial services to communities with limited access to physical banking facilities.
The initiative also aligns with Uganda’s National Financial Literacy Strategy 2023–2028, which seeks to promote economic growth and reduce poverty through access to affordable and quality financial services.
Kabeera urged both existing and prospective customers to embrace the platform and participate in the campaign.
Customers can access Wendi by dialling *229# on feature phones or downloading the Wendi mobile wallet from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Launched in November 2023, Wendi is a mobile wallet developed by Pearl Bank to extend financial services to underserved and last-mile customers. The platform has since onboarded more than one million subscribers and works with over 13,000 agents across the country.
Licensed under the National Payment Systems Act, Wendi enables users to save, send and manage money without necessarily having a bank account or smartphone.
Through its partnership with the Government of Uganda, Pearl Bank has also used the platform to support the disbursement of Parish Development Model funds and relief assistance to victims of the Bududa landslides, among other initiatives.
