SA has enjoyed a very busy half year, headlined by the country’s 30th anniversary as a democracy in April and the elections in May that led to the formation of a government of national unity under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been re-elected for a second term.

The JSE has enjoyed an equally busy first six months, with some very pleasing listings as a key highlight, including Rainbow Chicken and medicinal cannabis group Cilo Cybin, following WeBuyCars and Powerfleet earlier this year. The Kingdom of eSwatini also issued a R4 billion Protea Bond programme on our Debt Board, which remains the largest and most liquid on the continent, producing returns in excess of 20% per year since 2022.

This activity is testament to the continued importance of the JSE as the bourse of choice when it comes to raising capital and unlocking value in Southern Africa, for both local and global institutions.

We were also privileged to host the annual Building African Financial Markets seminar together with the African Securities Exchanges Association. This initiative was established to foster collaboration within the various African financial and capital markets, including policymakers, regulators and market players, to help drive resilience within the continent, and to become more efficient as well as grow together to thrive in an increasingly digital and competitive world. This year’s theme was Navigating New Horizons: Evolving African Financial Markets, which is particularly apt given the seismic geopolitical changes that are taking place.

The rising entrance of individual or retail investors into the capital markets is a welcome trend in SA. As such, we have been deliberate in elevating our retail programmes to foster financial literacy and augment investor protection. We recently brought to market new initiatives to complement our existing programmes such as #SheInvests, which especially encourages women investors; the Investment Challenge for high school pupils and university students; and the Virtual Trading Game for the broader SA community.

We bolstered our retail strategy with the launch of our online Verify a Broker tool, which gives retail investors the peace of mind that the people they are entrusting their savings and investments with are real and credible professionals. We also launched our JSE Investor Avenue podcast and debuted our first episode, which is a good companion series for individual investors. The podcast is structured around key financial themes, such as the fundamentals of investing, women and finance and sustainable investing, to name a few. This thematic approach ensures listeners can dive deep into topics that matter most to them.

Innovation continues to be a particular hallmark of the JSE, and we are determined to adapt, collaborate and innovate to ensure that we maintain our hard-earned reputation as an enabling environment for issuers and investors across the spectrum. We have been responsive and innovative in building a world-class exchange and have involved our stakeholders to ensure that we create an institution that is future fit for a world in which the only certainty appears to be change. You can look forward to more innovation as the year progresses.

Dr Leila Fourie
Group Chief Executive Officer