Guided by the National Development Plan III goal of increasing average household incomes and improving the quality of life of Ugandans, PostBank Uganda has been on a journey to innovate and introduce tailored products that address consumer needs as well as close the financial inclusion divide by extending affordable financial services to enable Ugandans to actively participate in the different social economic activities that will in turn positively impact their livelihoods.
In 2023, PostBank Uganda launched Wendi, a digital mobile wallet designed to bridge Uganda’s financial inclusion gap and extend affordable services to underserved communities.
According to Brenda Mpoora, Head of Fintech Business at PostBank Uganda, today, Wendi has registered over one million users, a milestone driven by its innovative savings product.
She says that Wendi allows individuals to save as little as sh 20,000 while earning an attractive 10% annual interest.
“This addresses Uganda’s weak savings culture, highlighted by the FinScope 2018 survey, which showed that only 54% of Ugandans save. In the face of stagnant wages and rising living costs, Wendi provides an accessible tool to grow savings,” she says.
“Wendi not only nurtures a savings culture but also simplifies the operations of SACCOs, VSLAs, and Investment Clubs by digitizing savings, loans, shares, payroll, and investments. This improves record-keeping and makes groups more creditworthy.” She adds.
According to her, with this platform, fund mismanagement is reduced since three key officials must approve transactions, and members can track funds via mobile phones.
Wendi has also been instrumental in disbursing Parish Development Model (PDM) funds directly to beneficiaries, ensuring accountability and transparency.
To boost uptake, PostBank partnered with the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA) during the pilot phase of onboarding VSLAs. Other collaborations include the Financial Technologies Service Providers Association (FITSPA), West Nile Private Sector Development Promotion Center (WENIPS), and CARE International, which have supported financial literacy and SACCO digitization nationwide.
“The National Labor Force Survey (2021) revealed that only 6% of Ugandans had bank accounts, while 17% preferred saving on mobile phones. Wendi bridges this gap by offering a secure, user-friendly, and convenient platform. The Minister of Finance has endorsed Wendi, emphasizing its role in reducing long travel distances for rural populations, cutting transaction costs, and providing full transparency for PDM funds,” Mpoora adds.
Leveraging partnerships with leading Mobile Network Operators MTN and Airtel, Wendi users can receive funds, make e-payments, and transact through a combined network of over 250,000 agents countrywide. The wallet is further supported by PostBank’s 60 branches and 6,000 bank agents, extending services to rural and unbanked areas.
George William Kiyingi, the Bank’s head of Agent Banking and Fintech distribution, in Uganda’s bold ambition to eradicate poverty and foster prosperity at the grassroots, the Parish Development Model (PDM) stands out as a transformative framework.
He says no transformation is meaningful without access to financial services, technology, and opportunity.
“This is where Wendi, PostBank Uganda’s Wendi mobile wallet, emerges not just as a solution, but as a catalyst for financial inclusion. The PDM’s promise is profound: to uplift millions of Ugandans by channeling resources to over 10,595 parishes across the country. Before Wendi became the game changer in PDM cash disbursements, beneficiaries faced immense challenges accessing financial services,” he says.
Kiyingi says, Wendi changes this narrative completely. With just a national ID and a mobile phone, anyone can onboard within minutes.
“Over 1.3 million beneficiaries have already been onboarded since early 2024, and the volume of funds disbursed has reached over sh500b within the first half of 2025, with a remarkable 90% successful beneficiary payment rate.
Through Wendi, users can conduct bank-to-wallet transfers, receive Western Union remittances, pay utilities such as Umeme, water, NSSF, URA taxes, Pay TV, buy airtime, or pay school fees. Notably, one does not need a PostBank account to use Wendi.
“The wallet is accessible via the Wendi App on smartphones and through *229# USSD on feature phones. Licensed by the Bank of Uganda under the National Payments Systems Act 2020, Wendi continues to create opportunities by providing affordable financial services that support savings, investments, and growth in sectors such as agriculture, which employs over 60% of Ugandans,” he reveals.
Wendi’s impact on financial inclusion and economic empowerment has been widely recognized. In 2023, Wendi won the Digital Impact Awards for Banking Innovation Excellence and the SilverBack Awards for Best Customer Experience Programme. These accolades reflect the platform’s excellence in delivering financial services and its positive reception among users