NSE share orders quadruple on M-Pesa trading

Key Takeaways

• The new M-Pesa shares trading platform, Ziidi Trader, has quadrupled the number of share orders on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) by nearly 3.8 times since its launch.
• Ziidi Trader-driven micro-transactions now account for approximately half of daily equity deals but only about two percent of the total market turnover value.
• Analysts indicate that these low-value transactions are crucial for 'price discovery,' helping establish the direction of stock prices on the Nairobi bourse.
• The platform enables retail investors to trade stocks using only their mobile-money credentials, bypassing the need for a Central Depository System (CDS) account.
• This initiative significantly advances NSE's goal of attracting more retail investors, bringing new participants to the market with expectations of increased trading volume and value over time.