The Central Bank of Kenya has announced new weekday operating hours for the Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System (KEPSS), extending the real-time payment platform's availability to enhance financial efficiency and accessibility.

From July 1, 2025, the system will run from 7 am to 7 pm on business days, up from the current window of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The move is expected to ease early and late-day payment processing for institutions and businesses handling large or time-sensitive transactions.

“This strategic enhancement is aimed at improving the efficiency, accessibility, and resilience of Kenya’s payments ecosystem,” CBK said in a statement issued on June 18.

The central bank noted that the change followed consultations with system participants and supports the objectives of the National Payments Strategy 2022–2025.

“By enabling earlier initiation and later completion of large-value and time-sensitive payments, this move will support the country’s transition towards a 24/7 digital economy,” it added.

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi had previously revealed during the June 12 budget reading that KEPSS would shift towards round-the-clock settlement from July.

CBK Governor Kamau Thugge said the extended hours will allow businesses and institutions to manage payments more efficiently.

He said the new schedule would also reduce settlement risks and improve cash flow across sectors

. The central bank believes the change will also allow more flexibility in cross-border transactions and improve Kenya’s position as a regional financial hub.

CBK said the extension aligns with global trends in payment system modernization and will promote broader financial inclusion for individuals and small businesses.

The authority pledged to keep strengthening the national payments infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the economy.

In October 2024, CBK migrated KEPSS to ISO 20022, a global standard for electronic financial messaging.

At the time, it said the upgrade would deliver “significant benefits,” including faster settlements, smoother processing, and better liquidity management.

ISO 20022, first adopted in Kenya in 2004, allows seamless messaging between financial institutions using Extensible Markup Language (XML), boosting real-time communication and efficiency in the financial sector.