Investor indaba is set to stimulate dialogue

RemaRks at the Inaugural Zimbabwe annual Investor Forum in Harare on Wednesday by PiggyBankAdvisor founder Batanai matsika (pictured).

Welcome to the Inaugural Zimbabwe Annual Investor Forum themed “Sustainable Long-Term Investment Opportunities”.

As PiggyBankAdvisor, we would like to thank our partners, Alpha Media Holdings, publishers of NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard for holding hands with us in hosting this important Forum on the role of government and private sector players in promoting sustainable long-term investment opportunities.

We also acknowledge key sponsors such as Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SecZim) that have also partnered with us on this great initiative.

Ladies and gentlemen, in achieving meaningful growth in Zimbabwe, we require high levels of both foreign and domestic investments. Long-term institutional investors like pension funds and asset management companies serve as potential sources of finance for sustainable development.

However, more needs to be done to engage these actors and other players in the financial and corporate sectors to facilitate larger volumes of sustainable investment.

The Zimbabwe Annual Investor Forum is set to stimulate dialogue on critical investment issues as well as gauge the views of various parties.

Another key problem being experienced by individuals, households and small to medium businesses in Zimbabwe relates to financial exclusion and a low savings rate.

This of course is largely due to macroeconomic issues, low financial literacy levels and lack of confidence. This calls for a need to improve the participation in investment markets and promote the development of personal investment strategies.

Research also indicates that some households have resorted to channelling their hard-earned money to unfit “investment vehicles” such as Ponzi schemes as well as gambling activities.

Meanwhile, we are witnessing a revolution in terms of the development of global capital markets.

The internet has also changed how business is being done as IoT (The Internet of Things) and Artificial Intelligence has taken centre stage. In the same vein, global financial markets have been evolving with new instruments being introduced and traded, from CFDs (Contract for Differences), ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) to REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts).

Zimbabwe has also caught up with this trend given that the traditional stock market has shifted from manual to automated systems. We are witnessing a convergence of technology and finance and this has opened the stock market for anyone who has an internet connection.

Overall, the local capital markets are evolving, and we should expect to catch with other more developed markets. PiggyBankAdvisor is playing its role in this evolution.

PiggyBankAdvisor is a financial advisory platform that is focused on helping people attain financial freedom through our website, podcast, webinars, forums, newspaper columns, TV show appearances, courses, and specialised investment services.

is a fast-growing online community of trading and investing enthusiasts that makes use of digital platforms to increase the participation of individuals, households, and businesses in local and global investment markets.

It is a vibrant educational platform that empowers users through educational and insightful articles and blogs.

The PiggyBankAdvisor Institute is focused on providing quality learning opportunities to individuals, households and institutions wanting to educate themselves on local and global investment markets. The aim is to enable individuals to play a creative role in their community as well as in broader society.

Let me also highlight the fact that the collaborative or sharing economy is an emerging phenomenon that is now shaping the cultural, economic and social landscape of the modern world.

Applications of the sharing economy concept have found their way into various areas.

For example, in finance, the collaborative economy means person-to-person banking and crowd-driven investment models that decentralise finance, with examples including peer-to-peer funding platforms like kickstarter.com and IndieGoGo.

That said, PiggyBankAdvisor has set up a framework for Investment clubs that are focused on different asset classes. This is targeted at both locals and communities in the diaspora. Investment clubs are an important vehicle for one to invest in different asset classes such as commodities (gold), shares, and properties.

The collective brain power and experience of people who have knowledge and experience of different market sectors produces opinions and information that will guide you to sensible decisions.

In future, we intend to grow the reach and scope of the Zimbabwe Annual Investor Forum targeting both local and international investors. We believe the positive social and economic impact of this Forum is significant.

This initiative will not only build capacity, but will also (i) promote idea generation through information sharing; (ii) solve the key constraint of poor financial literacy in Zimbabwe and (iii) provide a powerful platform to market financial products to specific target markets.