Online Reporter
Tawanda Musarurwa
DIGITAL platforms like C-Trade, ZSE Direct and VFEX Direct are driving retail investor participation on the capital markets.
Recent data from the fourth quarter of 2024 availed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) shows that individual traders were no longer peripheral participants, but were becoming central to the trading ecosystem on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX).
ZSE’s C-Trade and ZSE Direct platforms recorded a combined total buy value of over ZWG5,3 million, with more than 10 000 individual trades executed.
C-Trade alone accounted for ZWG3,1 million in purchases across 5 842 trades – underscoring how mobile and web-based access has opened the market to first-time and small-scale investors.
ZSE Direct, introduced to simplify access to the stock exchange for ordinary Zimbabweans, handled ZWG2,26 million in buy transactions, alongside 1 447 trades.
Sell-side activity was similarly vibrant. Investors using C-Trade and ZSE Direct offloaded stocks worth over ZWG4 million across 3 300 trades.
This level of activity highlights a shift in investor behaviour from long-term holding to active portfolio management.
The VFEX, which trades exclusively in United States dollars, also saw notable retail interest.
Despite having fewer active clients (1 608), VFEX Direct users bought and sold shares worth over US$31 000 combined, with 478 trades executed.
For a foreign currency-denominated market still in its infancy, this signals growing trust and appetite among individual investors.
Cumulatively, the three platforms had 29 108 active users during the quarter, suggesting a broadening base of market participants.
These tools have dramatically lowered the entry barrier for Zimbabweans who were historically excluded from equity markets due to high brokerage fees, geographic inaccessibility or limited financial literacy.
The trend aligns with broader efforts by the ZSE and VFEX to democratise finance through innovation.
By integrating mobile money, simplifying KYC (know-your-customer) processes and providing investor education, the local bourses are reshaping the demographics of their participants.
