Limited reach and manual complaint workflows

Prior to Intumwa, consumer protection relied heavily on manual and location-dependent workflows that limited access for rural populations, slowed complaint resolution, and provided little visibility for consumers seeking updates on their cases. Enforcing consistent regulatory timelines across financial service providers was operationally difficult, and handling inquiries and complaints through separate systems increased administrative overhead.

BNR required a single, national system that could operate across languages and connectivity levels, embed regulatory rules directly into complaint handling, and provide both consumers and supervisors with a clear, traceable process.

Resolving complaints in 15 days or less

Proto designed Intumwa as a unified conversational layer that standardises complaint handling and information access across Rwanda’s financial sector.

Intumwa delivers rapid redressal for consumers and supervisory control for BNR through the following capabilities:

• 100 % digital complaint intake, with structured capture of institution, issue description, and consumer contact details
• Automatic verification of complaints against BNR's registry of licensed financial service providers before routing
• Centralised routing into BNR's complaints dashboard, creating a single supervisory view across institutions
• Integration with financial institutions' websites and customer support systems
• Policy-enforced 15-day resolution timelines with escalation available to both consumers and BNR
• Live status tracking via ticket number enabling continuous transparency for complainants
• Kinyarwanda voice AI for inclusive access to all Rwandan citizens

The platform is accessible via webchat, SMS, and WhatsApp, with all conversations synchronised across channels. This ensures continuity even when consumers move between devices or connectivity environments.

Intumwa also supports general inquiries, dynamically switching between informational and formal complaint workflows based on consumer intent. BNR is also extending Intumwa into its mobile application, where it will provide regulatory guidance, support digital forms, and deliver updates on financial sector programmes and services.

With Intumwa, BNR has moved from fragmented, manual processes to a policy-driven, transparent, and inclusive consumer protection system, strengthening trust in Rwanda’s financial sector while redefining online dispute resolution as an integral component of digital public infrastructure.