Kenyan wealth-tech startup Hisa has officially launched after a 10 month beta period. The app will allow Kenyans to invest in listed stocks, US stocks and ETFs directly from their phones using mobile money.
Hisa aims to democratize the Africa retail investment space, which suffers from limited investment options, lack of information and very low financial literacy levels, through micro-investments.
“Today, we are very excited to launch Hisa which will allow Kenyans to invest and build wealth with minimal investments. Through Hisa anyone in Kenya can invest in their favorite companies such as Safaricom, KCB, Equity, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft and many more. ” said Erick Asuma, Co-Founder and CEO.
Hisa provides more than just an investment platforms and it will allow its users to start or follow discussions, read the latest business and finance news from reputable media partners, get real-time market updates, learn from experts and listen to podcasts on topics ranging from technology, personal finance as well as interviews with thought leaders.
“This is in line with the presidential directive to broaden the capital markets. We are glad to partner with Eric and his team to democratize investments” said Rina Hicks, Director of Operations at Faida Investment Bank.
Hisa together with the Nairobi Securities Exchange will be working closely to unveil the fractional investing of Kenyan stocks after the partners received regulatory approval, this is according to Bob Karina, Founder and Chairman of Faida Investment Bank.
“Hisa has come to make it easier to invest in companies like Amazon through fractional ownership. There is also work behind the scenes to enable fractional investing in Government bonds.” Said Bob Karina.
“The CDCS has introduced a new set of APIs and we are very excited to partner with Hisa and Faida to bring the Kenyan stock onto Hisa App via our APIs.” Said Nkoregamba Mwebesa, the Chief Executive Officer the Central Depository & Settlement Corporation.
“I wish to convey our congratulations to Hisa on the launch of this platform that is anticipated to deepen the capital markets by improving the efficiency and convenience of trading securities. “ Said Wycliffe Shamiah, the Chief Executive of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
“We have developed a pathway for digitization and digital trading. We are very excited about our partnership with Hisa by providing them with capabilities to integrate directly to the exchange through Faida.” Said Geoffrey Odundo, Chief Executive Nairobi Securities Exchange PLC
“At Hisa, our mission is to empower Africa to be financially independent by providing simplified investment solutions and educational content. After a 9 month beta period which has seen our user base grow to over 10, 000 active users, we are finally launching the Kenyan stock market.” – added Eric Jackson, Co-Founder and CTO.
The Hisa team have built an easy-to-use mobile app with a frictionless interface, enabling first-time retail investors to start investing in the stock market in a matter of seconds. For the first time, young investors in Kenya have the power to trade and make their own decisions on how to invest their money.