Kenya's Safaricom starts offering stock trading on its M-Pesa platform

Core Insights - Safaricom has launched stock trading on its M-Pesa platform, potentially attracting millions of new small investors to the Nairobi Securities Exchange [1][2] Group 1: Product Launch - The new stock-trading product, Ziidi Trader, allows M-Pesa users to buy shares directly on the Nairobi Securities Exchange without needing a brokerage account [2] - Ziidi Trader accounted for an average of 40% of trades at the bourse since its launch, representing 5% of total daily trade volume [3] Group 2: Market Context - The launch of Ziidi Trader follows a strong rally at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, benefiting from increased allocations to emerging-market stocks [4] - The Nairobi Securities Exchange aims to reach 9 million active retail investors by the end of 2029 [3] Group 3: Strategic Implications - The initiative aligns with Kenyan President William Ruto's strategy to enable broader participation of Kenyans in capital markets ahead of his re-election campaign [4]