Starting next month, buying shares on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) will be as easy as paying for electricity or sending money to a friend – all directly from your M-Pesa wallet. This game-changing development comes through Ziidi Trader, a platform currently wrapping up its pilot phase, which aims to revolutionize how Kenyans access the stock market.
For years, investing in shares required navigating a complex system, involving stockbrokers, account openings, and countless forms. Ziidi Trader eliminates most of these obstacles, offering a seamless and simple solution that allows anyone to invest in the stock market without needing to go through traditional brokerage processes.
How Ziidi Trader Works: Easy Trading Through M-Pesa
With Ziidi Trader, investors can trade through an omnibus account structure, which pools multiple investors’ funds into a single account managed by licensed brokers. The platform enables you to browse listed companies, place buy or sell orders, and settle transactions instantly through M-Pesa.
- Buy shares: The money is deducted directly from your M-Pesa wallet.
- Sell shares: The proceeds are instantly returned to your M-Pesa wallet.
There’s no need to open a separate brokerage account at the entry stage, which significantly simplifies the process for new and experienced investors alike.
Aiming for Increased Retail Participation in the Stock Market
NSE Chief Executive Frank Mwiti believes this approach will finally address the stagnation in retail investor participation, which has seen only a 0.2% growth from 2023 to 2025, adding just 2,621 new traders. Despite the market’s strong performance, retail participation has remained flat, with only 1.3 million active investors, down from over 2 million in 2022.
By introducing Ziidi Trader, Mwiti hopes to break down the barriers to entry, encouraging more Kenyans to participate in the stock market. The platform’s integration with M-Pesa, which boasts 37.91 million one-month active users as of September 2025, provides a ready-made infrastructure to achieve this goal.
The Success of Mobile-Enabled Financial Products
This isn’t the first time Kenya has led the way in mobile-enabled financial products. Back in 2017, Kenya pioneered mobile bond trading, allowing investors to buy and sell bonds via mobile phones, a world first. More recently, Safaricom and the NSE launched the Ziidi Money Market Fund (MMF) in December 2024. By September 2025, this fund had attracted over 1.15 million customers and KES 12.6 billion in assets. The success of this initiative provides a proven model for Ziidi Trader and suggests that it could similarly attract a large number of new investors to the NSE.
The Controversy Surrounding the New Platform
While Ziidi Trader has the potential to transform Kenya’s stock market, it hasn’t been without controversy. Earlier this year, stockbrokers accused the NSE of trying to bypass them entirely, leading to tensions within the industry. However, the omnibus account structure addresses some of these concerns, ensuring that licensed brokers remain involved, but behind the scenes as intermediaries.
For Safaricom, the company behind M-Pesa, Ziidi Trader opens a new revenue stream beyond person-to-person transfers. The company earned KES 100 million from the Ziidi MMF, which constitutes about 0.6% of the fund’s total assets. Financial services now make up 5.2% of M-Pesa’s revenues, a significant increase, highlighting the growing importance of mobile finance.
A Bright Future for Mobile-Enabled Securities Trading
Once the pilot phase is completed and any issues are addressed, Ziidi Trader will expand to other brokers beyond the initial setup, potentially positioning Kenya as a regional leader in mobile-enabled securities trading. If adoption mirrors the success of Ziidi MMF, the platform could bring about a fundamental shift in who participates in the stock market, opening the door for millions of new retail investors.
With the 2030 World Cup and continued advancements in financial technology, Kenya’s innovative strides in mobile finance are set to reshape the future of investing in Africa, making it easier for everyday people to participate in the stock market.
