News and developments on African capital markets: African securities, African stock exchanges, African equities, African bonds, African private equity/venture capital, and African social impact investment. Twitter @africancapital, LinkedIn African Securities Exchanges group.
RisCura’s annual Bright Africa report into African securities exchanges is out and highly-recommended. Key challenge to investors, African stock exchange operators and regulators remain: liquidity, free float and cost of trading. Broker commissions are high, but with low trading volumes they need incentives to change.
Africa’s £1.98 billion ($2.68bn) megalisting Vivo Energy (VVO) soared in its first 2 days of trading on the London Stock Exchange (dual-listed in Johannesburg ) on 10-11 May after a successful initial public offer (IPO) raised £548m.
According to www.Alexa.com, in rankings today (9 Jan) the Nigerian Stock Exchange website was ranked #83,112 busiest website in the world ahead of the Egyptian Exchange, JSE, BRVM and Nairobi Securities Exchange.
A round-up of recent African IPOs and other listings, many over-subscribed, shows demand and innovation – Namibia scored its first SPAC and Mauritius listed GDRs.
Monica Singer, former CEO of South African CSD Strate, left at the end of August 2017 after nearly 20 years. She will concentrate full time on blockchain.
Court is the next battleground in a war between securities exchanges in South Africa. New exchange 4AX launched a High Court application to set aside both the decision of the FSB and its Appeals Board to grant a licence to new exchange ZAR X.
A new AMI Big50 Ex-SA ETF offers investors access to an index covering 50 African companies outside South Africa. It is run by Cloud Atlas Investing and listed on the JSE.
Roundup of some recent initial public offers (IPOs) of shares which raised capital for businesses listed on Africa’s stock exchanges.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is switching to a shorter T+3 settlement cycle for the equity market from 11 July. Currently it works on T+5.
On 13 Dec the Johannesburg Stock Exchange JSE spelled out how the sacking of South Africa finance minister Nhlanhla Nene and market reactions to political moves had affected people’s savings, jobs and hopes in the previous 4 days.