South Africa must ensure that capital can be raised at small end of the stock exchange

5th May 2023 By: Martin Creamer - Creamer Media Editor

South Africa must ensure that capital can be raised at small end of the stock exchange

The bulk of South Africa’s long-term savings assets, something like 90%, are managed by less than a dozen institutions, which are obliged by the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (Asisa) to follow strict rules laid down by the National Treasury. It is now crucial that wisdom is applied to these Asisa rules to allow funds to also be invested at the small end of the stock exchange and not just the big end.

Capital raising on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is what built this country and current failure to be able to raise capital on that market will drag this country down. The JSE is losing listings year after year and that trend must be reversed. About 97%, or R19-trillion, of all gross market capitalisation on the JSE is in companies in the top 100, with most trading taking place in the top 40. Primary capital raising is not being supported and those stopping this must be judiciously directed towards global best practice.