NSE (Nairobi Securities Exchange) has launched a New Innovation Lab that is expected to attract the attention of Global Technology Companies, Venture Capital Funds, Incubators, Accelerators, Academic Institutions, and Venture Studios, keen to expand the Lab’s ecosystem and accelerate innovation pipelines.
This NSE Innovation Lab will serve as the Exchange’s strategic engine for applied innovation – a collaborative space where technology meets market structure to unlock new frontiers in liquidity, efficiency, and financial inclusion.
As part of the launch, the NSE announced that the Hedera Foundation and Hashgraph have become the first strategic technology partners to join the Innovation Lab, marking a major milestone in the Exchange’s mission to build a digitally enabled, globally connected marketplace.
“The NSE Innovation Lab is a catalyst for capital markets transformation,” said Frank Mwiti, Chief Executive of the NSE. “By bringing together innovators, market participants, and global technology pioneers such as the Hedera Foundation and Hashgraph, we are creating a platform for experimentation, learning, and invention that will power the next generation of Africa’s capital markets.”
In his remarks, Gregg Bell, Chief Business Office at HBAR, Inc, a subsidiary of Hedera Foundation SEZC, said it will collaborate with the NSE to help them in their mission to accelerate the digital transformation of Africa’s capital markets via the Hedera network.
Hashgraph intends to use its expertise and assets in tokenization to grow and expand markets in Africa.
Through the Lab, the NSE will design, test, and scale breakthrough solutions that directly advance its 2025–2029 strategy – deepening capital markets, expanding retail participation, and unlocking access to finance for SMEs and women-owned enterprises.
The Lab will accelerate innovation in sustainable finance, digital assets, tokenized instruments, and intelligent market data systems, while pioneering new models for regional market connectivity, investor inclusion, and product development.
By blending technology with policy foresight, the NSE Innovation Lab will act as a strategic engine for growth, driving Africa’s transition toward more inclusive, liquid, and resilient capital markets.
NSE STRATEGY ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF CAPITAL MARKETS
A cornerstone of the NSE’s 2025–2029 strategic vision, the Innovation Lab underscores the Exchange’s commitment to driving digital transformation, broadening market participation, and positioning Kenya as Africa’s innovation gateway for capital markets.
As an active member of the Hedera Council, the NSE continues to guide the global development of decentralized technologies while demonstrating their tangible application in regulated markets.
With the launch of the NSE Innovation Lab, the Exchange is not just embracing innovation, it is engineering the future of capital markets in Africa.
Hedera Foundation will provide grants, subject matter expertise, and ecosystem support to help developers build applications across tokenization, DeFi, AI, and sustainability sectors.
The team spans engineering, marketing, business development, and finance to empower entrepreneurs and organizations to innovate on the Hedera network.
Hashgraph is a rapidly growing software company comprising world-renowned leaders and builders in web2 and web3 that was founded with the mission to invent decentralized technology that fosters and connects private and public networks of value.
With a global presence spanning over 20 countries, Hashgraph spearheads Hedera’s product innovation and technical development of the codebase to advance Hedera as the trust layer of the digital economy.
The NSE tech lab comes at a time when several Kenyan tech firms are featuring prominently in the ongoing MEST Africa Challenge (MAC), a leading Pan-African pitch competition designed for early-stage t\Technology Startups ready to scale, in South Africa
Kenyan firms at the competition, who have made it to the final 20 finalists include Logistify AI – An AI platform helping SMEs and cooperatives optimize procurement and supply chains; Farmsky Ventures – A digital lending and crop insurance platform boosting productivity for smallholder farmers; and Investa Farm – An Agri-FinTech platform offering voucher-backed loans for climate-resilient farm inputs.
MEST winners will be picked this November 24th 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa, in an event sponsored by South Africa’s Absa Group.
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