AXYS Investment Bank has partnered with UK-based Janus Henderson Group, to provide local institutional and private investors with access to the more lucrative and sophisticated offshore financial products and options.
This comes as more global players pitch camp for a piece of Kenya’s growing money and capital markets as local institutional and retail investors seek for global, hard-currency investments. The partnership offers Kenyan investors with access to top global investment managers such as BlackRock and Vanguard.
AXYS Investment Bank, which operates as AIB-AXYS Africa, has its Head Offices in Mauritius. The firm entered Kenya in 2015 by acquiring ApexAfrica Capital. Then in 2020, AXYS merged ApexAfrica with AIB Capital to form AIB-AXYS Africa, which is fully owned by AXYS Group.
The Kenyan firm is expected to ride on Janus Henderson Group’s huge balance sheet worth £366.7 billion in assets globally. This will provide Kenya’s investment industry with an expanded offshore offerings and dollar-denominated investment products.
AXYS license has been upgraded to full investment bank from a stockbrokerage firm
AXYS Investment Bank has tapped into this global expertise soon as the Capital Markets Authority(CMA) upgraded the license of this former stockbrokerage firm to an investment bank, allowing it to move beyond equities and fixed income brokerage.
The Kenyan investment bank can now provide corporate finance advisory, sustainable finance advisory, and alternative investments, utilizing its digital trading platform to offer better access for retail and diaspora investors.
AXYS has its Head Offices in Mauritius
AXYS is among three new investment banks that the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) recently approved as part of its broader effort to expand full-service investment banking capacity and diversify the professional services available to both local and international investors.
The three new investment banks are not fresh entrants to the Nairobi Securities Exchange but represent upgrades from existing intermediaries.
Cinemark, which was previously licensed as an Authorized Securities Dealer, has had its permit upgraded to allow the firm to offer a comprehensive suite of services including corporate advisory, securities dealing, underwriting, fund management, and market-making.
The firm aims to serve a diverse client base ranging from retail and diaspora investors to high-net-worth individuals and institutional corporates.
According to CMA latest data, addition of these three firms brings the total number of licensed investment banks and securities entities to 22.
The increase signals a notable shift in Kenya’s capital markets, as intermediaries increasingly move toward offering integrated, “one-stop-shop” financial solutions. The complete list of these licensees is as follows:
- ABSA Securities Limited
- Dyer and Blair Investment Bank Limited
- Equity Investment Bank Limited
- Faida Investment Bank Limited
- Genghis Capital Limited
- KCB Investment Bank Limited
- NCBA Investment Bank Limited
- Renaissance Capital (Kenya) Limited
- SBG Securities Limited
- Standard Investment Bank
- Sterling Capital Limited
- Dry Associates Limited
- Salaam Investment Bank Kenya Limited
- Gulfcap Investment Bank Limited
- Pergamon Investment Bank Limited
- Investcent Investment Bank Limited
- Capital A Investment Bank Limited
- Victoria Wealth Management Limited
- Rock Investment Bank Limited
- Fintrust Securities Limited
- AIB-AXYS Africa Limited
- Cinemark Consult Limited
According to the CMA, these regulatory upgrades are expected to enhance market depth and broaden product diversity.
By enabling firms to offer a wider array of services including underwriting and syndication, the authority aims to strengthen investor confidence and provide more robust support for issuers seeking to raise capital.