As Rwanda continues to make efforts to grow the local capital market, it is important to make sure that people are safe as they invest their money in the various available products.
In line with this, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) put in place measures to protect the interests of the people who invest in the various products available on the market.
The measures range from the mechanisms used to regulate the operations of the companies that are seeking capital, to how individual investors get authentic information about where to invest their money.
According to Noella Murigo, the Market Supervision and Inspection Manager at CMA, the first safety tip that investors should pay attention to is making sure that the particular businesses or brokers with whom they work are authorised by the CMA.
"Any investor has to be careful enough to know well whether the people that are asking him or her to invest have a license for it,” she said.
She highlighted that when some people, or companies, are licensed to work in foreign countries, it does not mean that they are authorised to work in Rwanda. Therefore, she noted, investors should insist on knowing if the companies are licensed locally.
In addition to this, it is important to note that the license that authorises a business to work in Rwanda’s capital market is issued by the CMA, not the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), or any other institution.
To authorise a company to put its shares, stocks or bonds on the local capital market, the CMA looks into a number of things. The latter include making sure that they provide key information that will assist investors to make wise decisions in regards to risks, and opportunities. Likewise, before licensing any broker, the CMA makes sure that they have what it takes in terms of experience, resources to run their companies, and integrity.
Operating without authorisation, use of fake documents, or providing counterfeit information to investors, is punishable by the law, and may attract penalties ranging from fines to jail sentences.