Browsing: Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)

Trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) more than doubled this week compared to the previous week, as the market recorded increased investor activities.

Week on week turnover rose Ksh3.7 billion (US$36.3 million) on 102 million shares traded against 51.8 million shares valued at Ksh1.3 billion (US$12.8 million) transacted the previous week.

During the week’s trading which closed on Friday, the NSE 20 share index was up 6.32 points to stand at 2706.78. All Share Index (NASI) shed 0.35 points to settle at 150.12 while the NSE 25 Share index lost 11.08 points to settle at 3637.98.

Banking Sector

The banking sector was busy with shares worth Ksh1.3 billion transacted which accounted for 35.78 per cent of the week’s traded value. Equity Group Holdings actively moved 15 million shares valued at Ksh601 million at between Ksh39.75 and Ksh40.05.

KCB Group moved 11 million shares worth Ksh446 million and closed the …

Barclays Bank (Kenya) has registered a flat growth in profit for the first quarter of 2019 as ongoing rebranding to Absa continues to impact its balance sheet.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed lender has reported a Ksh1.89 billion (US$18.7million) net profit for the period under review, a marginal 0.5 per cent growth compared to Ksh1.88billion (US$18.6million) posted in a similar period last year.

READ:Barclays Bank Q1 profit up 8% despite squeeze on loan book

This is despite gains on interest earnings and reduced expenses during the quarter.

Quarterly results published through the NSE shows total interest income edged up 7.2 per cent to close at Ksh7.4 billion (US$73million), compared to Ksh6.9 billion (US$68million) posted in Q1 of 2018.

Interest income from loans and advances to customers was Ksh5.4 billion, a 3.8 per cent up from Ksh5.2 billion in a corresponding period last year.

That from government securities and …

KCB Group shareholders have approved the proposal to acquire 100 per cent of the issued ordinary shares of National Bank of Kenya Limited (NBK) via share swap.

This approval follows the offer made by KCB Group on April 18, 2019 to acquire the shares of struggling NBK by way of a share swap of 10 ordinary shares of NBK for every one ordinary share of KCB. The transaction is subject to regulatory and NBK shareholders approvals.

The acquisition is part of KCB’s ongoing strategy to explore opportunities for new growth while investing in and maximizing the returns from its existing businesses, the management has said.

“For us, the acquisition is an opportunity to strengthen the deposit base and lending capacity, increase cost efficiencies due to economies of scale and boost transactional revenue through leveraging of technology. NBK maintains a strong deposit franchise and a wide branch network,” said KCB

Group …

Equity Bank emerged as the overall best bank in Kenya for the eighth time at this year’s Think Business Banking Awards, with Equity Group Managing Director and CEO James Mwangi scooping the CEO of the Year Award for the third time consecutively.

READ:Why Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi was named Banker of the year, again

Equity Bank bagged 18 awards, garnering the top slots in 12 categories – Best Bank in Tier 1, Best Bank with the lowest charges for individuals, the most customer-centric bank, best bank in mobile banking, best in internet banking, best agency banking, best in product marketing and the best bank in SME banking.

Others are best bank in agriculture and livestock financing, best commercial bank in micro finance, best in CSR, and best lender in digital banking.

The awards validate Equity Bank’s strategy and pursuit of financial inclusion while giving customers freedom, choice and …

After more than three years of waiting, the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has received regulatory approvals to proceed with the launch of the derivatives market.

This follows the successful conclusion of the Derivatives Market Pilot Test and subsequent submissions to the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

READ:Investors to commence derivatives trading at Nairobi bourse

NSE now sees the launch of the Derivatives Market as a significant milestone in the growth and deepening of the country’s’ capital markets and the wider Kenyan economy.

“Derivatives Markets provide new opportunities to investors, enabling them to better diversify their portfolios and allow for the efficient deployment of capital. Furthermore, through the Derivatives Market, investors will be able to form expectations about underlying assets in order to manage the price risks,” NSE Chief executive Geoffrey Odundo has noted.

This initiative makes the NSE the second African Exchange to …

The Kenyan government has once again gone to the market with its unique mobile phone based bond M-Akiba, as it seeks to raise funds to support infrastructure development in the country.

In a second issue this year, the National Treasury has re-opened the retail infrastructure bond as targeting to raise Ksh250 million (US$2.47million).

The bond was opened to the public on Monday, May 27, and will run up to Friday June 7, 2019. The value date shall be on Monday, June 10, 2019 and will start trading at the NSE on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, the government has said.

“Following the successful uptake of M-Akiba Retail Infrastructure Bond in March which attracted 79 per cent subscription rate, The National Treasury, the Central Depository and Settlement Corporation and the Nairobi Securities Exchange have jointly reopened the M-Akiba Retail Infrastructure Bond Issue No MAB/2/2017/03 to offer Kenyans another opportunity to invest in …

ARM Cement has signed a USD50 million (Ksh5.1 billion) deal for the transfer of its business to Devki group’ National Cement Company Limited.

The deal involved acquisition of all cement and non-cement assets and business of ARM Cement PLC in Kenya.

ARM Cement and its subsidiaries currently have operations in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. The Company also has some interests, in the form of unexploited mineral deposits, in South Africa.

The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries are the manufacture and distribution of cement, mining and processing of industrial minerals and chemicals, trading in other building products and the sale of fertilizers.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), ARM Cement was placed under administration last year (August 17) after it failed to meet its creditor obligations.

The cement manufacturer owes its creditors, whom include local banks, about USD190 million.

Failure to meet its debt obligations has now …

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has taken enforcement action against individuals in Kenya who it says has been culpable for unethical undertakings in fixed income securities in the last fear years. The move is seen as CMA’s effort to instill proffesionalism in the securities trading in the country mainly through a scheme known as ‘Front Running’.

CMA has taken enforcement action against Mr. Rodrick Muhoro, a bond trader, following conclusion of investigations with respect to allegation of irregular trading of Government Securities in 2016 and 2017.

Consequently,  CMA has imposed a financial penalty of Kshs 208 Million being twice the amount of benefit Mr Muhoro received from irregular trading and banned him from conducting bonds trading for a period of 10 years.

“According to the investigations, Mr. Muhoro conspired with brokers to defraud investors in bond transactions undertaken between January 2016 and June 2017 through front running,”  a press stament …

Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has announced plans to double its 4G network coverage to 5000 base stations by March 2020, covering all major towns and 80 per cent of the Kenya population.

The announcement was made by the company CEO Bob Collymore as he released financial results for the year ending  March 31, 2019, which saw net income increase by 14.7 per cent  to Ksh63.4 billion (USD624.9 million ) with revenue hitting Ksh240.3 billion (USD2.4 billion).

“We are pleased with the strong results we have delivered for the year, building on our long track record of delivering relevant products and putting the customer first. We foresee continued growth in the future,” said Collymore.

Safaricom expects to spend over Ksh36 billion (USD354.8 million) in driving up additional 4G coverage, which will see the company roll out an additional 2,030 4G and 4G+ base station to reach more than 80 per cent …

Equity Group Holding Plc’s subsidiary, Equity Investment Bank (EIB) has partnered with global investment firm Tellimer, in which EIB clients will access the firm’s new research portal.

The pact comes as part of Equity’s market development strategy and will enable EIB clients gain access to research insights and intelligence to make quality and informed investment decisions.

Equity Group’s CEO and Managing Director Dr. James Mwangi noted that the research portal will go a long way in achieving EIB’s vision to become a leading brokerage and investment banking firm in Kenya, East and Central Africa, serving local and international institutional investors alongside local retail investors.

“We are excited about this partnership and particularly the launch of this product. Tellimer is tapping research from 156 countries. The advantage of market research is that it collects a huge amount of complex data and synthesizes it into information which provides useful insights to inform …