HARARE – The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) has launched the Zimbabwe Entrepreneurship Exchange (ZEEX), a new capital markets platform aimed at widening access to growth capital for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), while strengthening Zimbabwe’s financial market ecosystem.
The launch, held in Bulawayo on 24 July 2026, follows regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) and the ZSE’s decision in June to operationalise its Small and Medium Enterprises Exchange under the ZEEX brand.
According to a ZSE press statement, ZEEX is a technology-driven, entrepreneurship-focused exchange designed to address one of the country’s longstanding economic challenges — limited access to affordable and patient capital for smaller businesses.
“The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Limited (ZSE) is pleased to announce the official launch of the Zimbabwe Entrepreneurship Exchange (ZEEX), held in Bulawayo on Friday, 24 July 2026,” the exchange said.
The platform consists of four major components: ZEEX Private Markets, ZEEX Public Markets, Invoice Discounting, and Bondholding Company (BHC).
The private markets segment will enable entrepreneurs to raise capital through structured private placements before potentially accessing public markets, while the public markets segment will facilitate securities issuance, listing and secondary market trading.
The invoice discounting facility will provide working capital solutions by allowing businesses to convert outstanding customer invoices into immediate liquidity, improving cash flow management.
The Bondholding Company model will enable businesses to secure financing through structured debt arrangements, giving investors clearer collateral frameworks while helping smaller enterprises access funding that may otherwise be unavailable through traditional financial institutions.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Judith Ncube said the decision to establish ZEEX in Bulawayo recognised the city’s historic contribution to Zimbabwe’s financial sector.
“Bulawayo carried the distinction of being home to one of the very first stock exchanges established around 1896. In launching ZEEX in Bulawayo, the ZSE is not creating something entirely new for the city. In many respects, it recognises that it is a home for finance and enterprise,” she said.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said ZEEX represented an important step towards integrating entrepreneurs into formal capital markets.
“The ZSE has played an important role in introducing entrepreneurs to the opportunities available within Zimbabwe’s capital markets as it transforms years of dialogue, capacity building and institutional collaboration into a practical financing platform,” she said.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said ZEEX was designed to correct structural imbalances in access to capital.
“ZEEX is a deliberate and necessary intervention to correct a long-standing imbalance, one where the very businesses that anchor our economy have had the least access to the capital markets that could help them grow,” Professor Ncube said.
He added that the platform would allow smaller businesses to formalise, expand operations and access long-term financing opportunities traditionally dominated by large corporates.
“The establishment of ZEEX gives these businesses the tools to formalise, to scale, and to access the kind of patient capital that has historically been reserved for large corporates,” he said.
The launch comes as the ZSE continues efforts to deepen Zimbabwe’s capital markets, improve financial inclusion and create alternative funding mechanisms beyond conventional bank lending.
ZSE market performance update
Meanwhile, investors are monitoring broader market movements following the latest trading session on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
ZSE Equity Market Indices, top gainers and losers as at 27 July 2026
Daily market performance data, including equity indices, price movements, top gainers, top losers and trading activity, is available through the ZSE’s official market information platforms.
To view daily ZSE market data, investors can access the exchange’s market statistics and trading updates.
The introduction of ZEEX is expected to provide a new pipeline of investable opportunities while encouraging more SMEs to transition into formal capital markets and contribute towards Zimbabwe’s broader industrial and economic growth agenda.
