Breakfast event to launch the 28th African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) in Kigali
The 28th African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) conference is coming to Kigali this November 2025, marking the 2nd time that the country will host the event.
The 2025 ASEA Annual Conference will be hosted by the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), bringing together at least 26 exchanges with 2,000 registered companies and over $2.5 trillion in market capitalization.
With growth in activity on its local bourse (Rwf100 billion as of the end of July), Rwanda is expected to take the lead in this year’s theme: “Adapting to Global Market Shifts.”
Speaking at the conference launch breakfast event held in Kigali on August 5, the Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Market Authority of Rwanda, Thapelo Tsheole, noted that:
Thapelo Tsheole
“ASEA Annual Conference offers Rwanda’s capital market an ideal opportunity to showcase its progress and for other African markets to learn from Rwanda’s financial sector developments.”
Rwanda’s secondary market has demonstrated solid performance, with increased trading volumes reflecting growing investor participation now approaching 100,000 active in the market.
The REPO market transactions registered a cumulative value of Rwf367.6 billion. This progress represents a major advancement in providing financial institutions with more flexible tools to manage short-term funding needs.
Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba
Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba, President of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) and CEO of Rwanda Stock Exchange, said that the conference will be an opportunity to engage Africans in addressing issues that similarly affect the continent’s capital markets.
There are almost the same issues of liquidity, a low level of companies listed on the markets, literacy, and policies (especially on tariffs) that need to be aligned.
“What we are trying to do as a continent is to work together and not in silos. Some countries are doing what is best for them, saying America first; and here we are saying Africa first,” Rwabukumba said.
Rwabukumba said that the conference will also change the narrative of capital markets ownership, which is currently and largely owned by foreign investors.
He stated that Rwanda has been chosen to host the conference for the second time because of the trust that other countries have in Rwanda.
ASEA registration is now open
On the other hand, the ASEA event is expected to be a corporate event that will attract investors, stock exchange regulators, and professionals, but also Heads of Government.
The conference, a flagship event of the Association, will feature high-level discussions covering themes that are relevant to capital
markets and opportunities to network with leading industry players from across the continent and the world.
It will, in particular, explore how African exchanges can navigate
global economic challenges and leverage opportunities for sustainable growth.
