Douglas Mwiti 
- East African Securities Exchanges Association (EASEA)launches EAE 20 Share Index;
The East African Securities Exchanges Association (EASEA) has officially launched the East Africa Exchanges (EAE) 20 Share Index, marking a significant milestone in the integration and development of the region’s capital markets.
This groundbreaking initiative introduces the first-ever regional markets index designed to spotlight the performance of East Africa’s most prominent listed companies and foster greater visibility, investor confidence, and cross-border investments within the East African region.
The EAE 20 Share Index is a market capitalization-weighted index, comprising a cross-section of the top 20 listed public companies from multiple sectors across Nairobi, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda stock exchanges.
Collectively, these listed companies represent over 85% of the region’s equity market universe.
The companies included in the Index are Safaricom Plc, KCB Group Plc, Equity Group Holdings Plc (EGH), The Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited, Absa Bank Kenya Pic, CRDB Bank Plc, NMB Bank Plc, Tanzania Breweries Limited,Tanga Cement Company Limited, Tanzania Cigarette Corporation, Bralirwa Limited, and BK Group Plc.
Among others are I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc,Cimerwa Plc, MTN Rwandacell Plc, MTN Uganda Limited, Stanbic Uganda Holdings, Bank of Baroda (Uganda),Airtel Uganda Limited, and Quality Chemical Industries Limited.
To be included in the Index, companies must have their shares primarily listed on a participating East African exchange for at least a year and be recognized blue-chip firms with strong profitability and a consistent dividend history.
The index will track price movements and changes in market capitalization of its constituent firms, offering a transparent benchmark for investors, analysts, and policymakers.
Mr. Frank Mwiti, Chief Executive Officer, Nairobi Securities Exchange Plc (NSE) said that the introduction of the first regional index marks a significant milestone in the growth and deepening of East African capital markets and their economies.
“The EAE 20 Share Index is poised to enhance market transparency, attract both cross-border and international investment, and provide a dependable benchmark for tracking regional market performance,” Mwiti said.
Mwiti added that it also reinforces ongoing efforts to promote the harmonization and integration of East African exchanges, fostering deeper collaboration across the region.
He said that they are laying a strong foundation for the development of innovative financial instruments, which include exchange-traded funds and other index-linked products.
EASEA is the umbrella body representing securities exchanges and depositories in the region which includes; Nairobi Securities Exchange Plc,Uganda Securities Exchange Plc, Dar-es Salaam Stock Exchange, Rwanda Stock Exchange, Somali Stock Exchange, Burundi Securities Exchange, Ethiopia Securities Exchange, National Securities Exchange of Somalia, and Central Depository & Settlement Corporation (Kenya).
