Safaricom has launched Ziidi Trader mobile platform, offering millions of customers a chance to buy and sell shares at the Nairobi bourse via their M-PESA app without the requirement to open a separate account. 

The initiative, which is a collaboration with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), will offer investors the tools to understand prices and track their investment portfolio at their convenience, "without the traditional barriers that have kept many people on the sidelines," Safaricom said.

"We are extending M-PESA beyond payments and short-term transactions into long-term wealth creation through securities trading on the NSE," noted Safaricom Chief Financial Officer Dilip Pal.

"This innovative platform will unlock access to the capital markets for millions of Kenyans, significantly expanding participation and bringing investing within easy reach of everyday users," the NSE explained. 

Ziidi Trader will see dividend payments go to one’s M-Pesa wallet or directed to other products such as the Ziidi Money Market Fund.

The telco has engaged Krestel Capital as the sole broker under Ziidi Trader to process trades on the mobile money services platform, marking a departure from the day-to-day approach of depending on stockbrokers, Business Daily reported on Tuesday.

Millions of retail investors, including young professionals, entrepreneurs, and first-time investors across the country seeking to participate in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) can now buy and sell their shares via mobile money services platform M-Pesa.

"Today, there is a pathway for my friends, mama mbogas, and the boda boda guys to own a home. Today, they have a pathway for them to buy shares from the comfort of their markets and boda bodas," stated President William Ruto while presiding over the launch of Ziidi Trader on Tuesday at the NSE.

Ziidi Trader  has been under pilot phase, helping traders make deposits and withdrawals through M-Pesa. The mobile stock trading platform is set to significantly lower the often complex entry barriers for retail investors seeking to participate in Kenya's financial markets.

In late 2024, Safaricom unveiled Ziidi Money Market Fund (MMF), offering millions of Kenyans the opportunity to invest via their handsets in an offering that allows free deposits and withdrawals via M-Pesa. The minimum investment amount  has been capped at KES100.

According to the June 2025 register of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), Ziidi reported 1.15 million customers, representing 47.9 percent of the 2.4 million individual investors in unit trust schemes on record.

M-Pesa platform has been instrumental in Kenya in enhancing participation for millions of investors seeking to grow wealth in the country's financial markets. Already, the Central Bank allows investments in bonds and treasury bills via M-Pesa using its digital platform DhowCSD, capped at KES250,000.

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