eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
The Financial Markets Indaba (FMI), in collaboration with the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX), will next month host a three-day event in Cape Town and Johannesburg South Africa to showcase capital investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.
It also seeks to broaden capital markets base, with special focus on the US dollar denominated VFEX.
This follows and expands on the success of the inaugural Zimbabwe Capital Markets Conference that was held in London. The conference is set for February 20 to 23.
Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube will headline the conference while Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) chief executive officer Justin Bgoni and other executives from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SecZim) and Insurance and Pensions Commission of Zimbabwe (IPEC) will attend.
“The conference’s focal point is to create a platform showcasing Zimbabwe’s deal flow and its true potential, providing opportunities for strategic capital allocation across various sectors,” said FMI managing director Patrick Muzondo.
“The platform will spotlight opportunities for institutional investors, investment firms, and the diaspora, emphasizing diverse avenues for capital allocation. The goals include broadening the VFEX investor base, showcasing success stories, fostering partnerships, and presenting a unified economic message from the Government and private sector,” he said.
Last year, the VFEX registered four new listings across mining, financial, and retail sectors, gaining momentum as a globally competitive platform for capital raising. The VFEX’s success, supported by offshore settlement options, positions Victoria Falls as an appealing Offshore Financial Services Centre.
The Government is aiming to implementing the Victoria Falls International Financial Offshore Centre, modelled after successful examples like Dubai and the Isle of Man. Operating in US dollars, the centre offers tax incentives and a range of financial services, contributing to reshaping global perceptions of Zimbabwe in financial markets.
According to Mr Muzondo, the conference programme will include VFEX-listed companies presenting their operations, plenary sessions with panel discussions, and B2B meetings.
The conference is well-suited for project developers, financiers, DFIs, capital markets players, diaspora, and industry professionals.
Some of the panel discussion topics include avenues for investing in Zimbabwe’s Lithium industry, the growth and investability of Zimbabwe’s real estate market, and exploring opportunities in the Victoria Falls International Offshore Financial Centre.
Already, the town is expected to be a magnet for real estate developments to cater for the vast financial services providers expected to flock the resort town, as well as tourism infrastructure.
“Some of the attendees will include players in the primary capital markets, corporate leaders, financial institutions and investment bank executives, and public accounting firm heads, as well as secondary market players such as fund managers and stockbrokers from Zimbabwe and overseas,” said Muzondo.
Financial Markets Indaba,through a series of interactive investment forums, aims to mobilise investment by convening diaspora, institutional investors, corporate leaders, and industry experts.
FMI is a unit of Emergent Capital Management which is licensed and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe.
