Kenya is poised to transform access to its capital markets as Safaricom and the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) prepare to roll out Ziidi Trader, a new service that will let everyday investors trade stocks on M-PESA directly from their mobile phones from January 2026.
The move aims to break down longstanding barriers to equity market participation and broaden financial inclusion in Africa’s most developed mobile money ecosystem.
The initiative marks a strategic partnership between Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecommunications provider, and the NSE, reflecting a convergence of telecommunications, fintech, and capital markets.
Historically, buying and selling shares on the NSE has required investors to open a Central Depository and Settlement Corporation (CDSC) account, engage a licensed stockbroker and navigate documentation that many first-time investors found prohibitive.
The new service will collapse these steps into a seamless experience embedded in the M-PESA mobile wallet, which already serves millions of customers nationwide.
Under the Ziidi Trader framework, investors will be able to place buy and sell orders for listed securities directly through the M-PESA app, with deposits and withdrawals processed via the same platform.
This direct integration eliminates the need for separate brokerage accounts and is expected to greatly simplify the trading process for retail investors.
The rollout follows a pilot phase that tested the functionality and user interface of the feature, including real-time market data, watchlists, price alerts and portfolio tracking.
The launch of Ziidi Trader builds on the earlier success of the Ziidi Money Market Fund (MMF), introduced in late 2024 and managed through the M-PESA ecosystem.
That product attracted significant uptake, with more than 1 million customers participating and assets under management in the billions of Kenyan shillings by late 2025, according to data from the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
The MMF’s popularity demonstrated pent-up demand for simple, mobile-based investment solutions, providing confidence for the next leap into equity trading.
The move marks a major milestone in the evolution of Kenya’s capital markets, with direct links to a platform as ubiquitous as M-PESA expected to significantly lower entry barriers.
Current participation rates on the NSE remain modest; of the more than 1.4 million individual investor accounts registered on the exchange, only around 61,000 are actively trading, representing just a small fraction of the broader population.
Fintech analysts and market observers believe the integration could unlock a new wave of retail investor engagement. “By enabling users to trade stocks on M-PESA, you democratize access to wealth-creating assets in a way that was previously impossible without intermediaries,” said one investment strategist familiar with the project.
Simplicity, familiarity and scale: the three hallmarks of M-PESA’s success are expected to catalyze broader retail ownership of equities.
For many Kenyans, M-PESA is already the primary gateway to financial services, facilitating payments, savings and credit products.
According to industry data, the platform processes tens of millions of transactions daily and remains deeply entrenched across urban and rural communities alike.
This widespread adoption gives Safaricom a significant advantage as it seeks to extend financial services into investment products traditionally the preserve of wealthier, urban investors.
Regulatory support has also played a part in enabling the launch. The CMA has expanded its licensing framework to include intermediary service platform providers (ISPPs), a category now encompassing services such as Ziidi Trader.
This regulatory clarity provides the legal infrastructure for safe, compliant retail trading via mobile money platforms, including investor onboarding and identity verification processes directly within the app.
Beyond expanding access to stocks, the development aligns with broader efforts by financial regulators in Kenya to democratize investment in financial assets.
The Central Bank of Kenya has already enabled mobile access to government securities through platforms like DhowCSD, which allows payments and participation in treasury bill and bond auctions via M-PESA for amounts up to specified thresholds.
Combined with recent changes allowing single-share trading on the NSE, these reforms reflect an ongoing push to make financial markets more inclusive.
The Ziidi Trader service is slated for full public availability in January 2026, with Safaricom and the NSE expected to expand functionality over time.
As millions of Kenyan mobile subscribers prepare to gain unprecedented access to equity markets, the initiative may redefine how financial inclusion is pursued in the digital age.
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