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Canadian blockchain firm DeFi Technologies Inc. has partnered with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) to develop the Kenya Digital Exchange (KDX), a platform for tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs).
The KDX will tokenize a diverse array of assets, from debts and equities to commodities and funds. The partners said that it will also offer a platform for the issuance and trading of these assets.
Valour Inc., the exchange-traded product (ETP) issuance and asset management subsidiary of DeFi Tech, and SovFi Inc., a tokenization platform, are also involved in the initiative.
“This partnership represents a transformative step in expanding digital asset infrastructure across Africa. By collaborating with NSE, we will empower investors with new asset classes, driving economic growth, and positioning Kenya as a leading financial hub in Africa,” commented DeFi Tech’s Olivier Roussy Newton.
It’s not the first time the NSE has partnered with Valour and SovFi. Last August, the three announced a new initiative under which the two firms would issue digital asset ETPs in Kenya. Valour stated that it would use licenses obtained in other jurisdictions to pass its products to the Kenyan bourse.
While Kenya is one of Africa’s three largest digital asset markets alongside Nigeria and South Africa, most of the activity has been concentrated on speculative trading and cross-border remittances. ETPs and tokenized assets have yet to hit the ground running in the East African nation, but the new partnership could accelerate growth for the sector.
“This partnership marks a bold and strategic leap toward the future of African capital markets,” commented Frank Mwiti, the NSE CEO.
“By collaborating with DeFi Technologies and SovFi to design and launch the KDX, we are laying the foundation for a dynamic digital marketplace that will unlock new investment opportunities, deepen market access, and position Kenya as a trailblazer in the tokenization and trading of real-world assets across the continent,” he added.
The four partners target a Q4 launch for the first phase of KDX, focusing on primary market token issuance and other auxiliary issues, such as onboarding users and regulatory compliance. In subsequent stages, they will introduce artificial intelligence (AI) assistance, secondary markets, market-making, and interoperability with other exchanges globally.
KDX is a massive leap for Kenya’s nascent blockchain sector. Even in advanced economies, RWA tokenization remains nascent, with most of the activity confined to pilots and a handful of institutional players.
In Hong Kong, for instance, HSBC (NASDAQ: HSBC) has been the dominant player via its Orion platform, with Bank of China (BOC) and Animoca Brands among the other major participants. In Singapore, the central bank’s Project Guardian has spurred innovation in the sector, but developments have still been limited to major players like DBS Bank, Standard Chartered, and JPMorgan (NASDAQ: JPM).
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