Nairobi Securities Exchange(NSE) Plc has announced the admission of Cinemark Consult Limited (Cinemark) as an Authorized Securities Dealer (ASD) in Kenya’s fixed-income market. This step is part of NSE’s continuous efforts to reform and strengthen Kenya’s bond market, with the aim to improve liquidity, transparency, and investor access.
Figures from the Capital Markets Authority(CMA) shows that there are five licensed ASDs in Kenya to operate at the Nairobi Securities Exchange; AKN Investment Limited, Kingdom Securities Limited, Private Wealth Capital Limited, SBM Bank(Kenya) Limited and Standard Chartered Bank Kenya (SCBK) Limited.
Nairobi Securities Exchange has a vibrant secondary bond market
Nairobi Securities Exchange said in a statement that as an ASD, Cinemark will now be able to actively participate in bond trading on the NSE platform, playing a key role in the growth of Kenya’s bond market and providing investors with expanded investment opportunities in fixed-income securities.
Frank Mwiti, Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, said “The admission of Cinemark Consult Limited as an ASD represents an important milestone in advancing the depth and effectiveness of the Nairobi Securities Exchange’s bond market. Their admission supports build a more robust fixed-income environment while underscoring the Nairobi Securities Exchange’s ongoing dedication to developing a dynamic, investor-oriented bond market.”
Benard Gichuru, Chief Executive Officer of Cinemark Consult Limited said, “We are honoured to be admitted as an ASD in the fixed income market. This milestone underscores our commitment to deepening liquidity and supporting the continued development of Kenya’s bond market. As an ASD, Cinemark Consult Limited looks forward to working closely with the NSE, market participants, and investors to deliver efficient execution and broader access to fixed income investment opportunities.”
This admission is part of Nairobi Securities Exchange’s larger strategy to broaden access to bonds trading to all licensed financial services providers under the hybrid bonds market framework approved by the Capital Markets Authority.
Nairobi Securities Exchange Bond Trading Figures
The Nairobi Securities Exchange bond market demonstrated impressive growth in the period ended December 2025, with turnover surging by 75.5% to close the year at KSh 2.7 Trillion, compared to KSh. 1.5 Trillion recorded over a similar period in 2024.
Officials at the NSE said the remarkable performance of the bond market highlights the success of comprehensive market reforms, which have significantly enhanced the market’s efficiency and attractiveness to investors. The Exchange is still receiving applications from financial institutions and will be admitting them once they fulfil the NSE admission criteria.
According to a weekly fixed-income market bulletin from Standard Investment Bank(SIB), the Central Bank of Kenya successfully raised KSh 100.5billion through the sale of two re-opened 15 -year and 25- year Treasury Bonds first sold in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
Notably, the CBK opted to absorb double its target of KSh 50.0bn (pointing to funding pressures) while rejecting KSh 113.2bn (likely due to aggressive bidding).
The February auction garnered bids worth KSh 213.7bn, resulting in an impressive subscription rate of 427.5%.
Contrary to recent auction trends, the 15-year Treasury Bond received the highest demand, indicating investor preference for a shorter duration despite a comparatively lower return.
In particular, the paper recorded a subscription rate of 267.6% vs 159.9% recorded by the 25-year debt instrument. The weighted average rate of accepted bids stood at 12.18%. Given the outsized quantum rejected by the Central Bank of Kenya, the Government may opt to conduct a tap sale to mop up the rejected bids. This week’s auction pushed the Government’s net domestic borrowing position to KSh 680.2billion, above the prorated target (performance rate of 166.5%).
Meanwhile the Banking sector continues to lead the Nairobi Securities Exchange gains in 2026, outperforming all major equity indices on broad-based price strength as the 2025 end year financial results for banks draws closer in March.
As trading drew to a close at the Nairobi Securities Exchange, Diamond Trust Bank was leading the gainers at 39.74%, followed by Co-operative Bank 23.59%, Stanbic Holdings 21.37%, Absa Bank Kenya 19.64%, I&M Holdings 17.43%, Equity Group 14.98%, KCB Group 14.45%, Standard Chartered Kenya 13.29%, BK Group 8.00%, HF Group 7.93% and NCBA Group 6.85%.
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