Online Reporter
Online Reporter
A local fintech company has launched a new digital platform designed to make it easier for people to invest in global markets, even without a bank account.
Shona Prince Technologies has rolled out StakeStreet, a platform that allows users to buy and sell digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, tokenised shares in international companies and ready-made investment bundles.
The platform is powered by a system called StakeTrade and operates through a network of agents, enabling users to access global investments using cash or mobile money.
This means that instead of needing a bank account or complex online setup, users can simply visit a nearby agent, pay in cash or via mobile money, and use their mobile phones to start investing.
StakeStreet works in a similar way to buying airtime.
Users purchase vouchers from local agents, which they can then redeem on their phones to invest in various assets such as cryptocurrencies or shares in major international companies.
The platform also offers pre-packaged investment options, known as bundles, which are linked to sectors like artificial intelligence, global equities and cryptocurrency markets.
These include well-known indices such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100.
Shona Prince Technologies founder Mr Victor Mapunga said the platform aims to address long-standing barriers that have prevented many people in emerging markets, including Zimbabwe, from participating in the global economy.
“We’ve connected people to the internet, but we haven’t connected them to the global economy. StakeStreet is designed to close that gap,” he said.
According to the company, the platform allows people to start investing with as little as US$1, making it accessible to a wider population, particularly in cash-based economies.
The agent network is central to how the platform works.
Individuals and businesses can sign up as agents and operate from locations such as phone shops, kiosks and informal markets, earning commissions on transactions.
StakeStreet is now available globally through its website, with the company already rolling out its agent network and integrating the platform into retail outlets.
