Botswana Stock Exchange - Gaborone - Botswana

Botswana Stock Exchange

Mission

To provide and operate a fair, transparent and efficient stock market for all stakeholders in order to optimise national economic development.

Vision

Our vision is to be the leading Stock Exchange in Africa.

We will do this by:

Growing the market in terms of number of listings, market capitalisation and liquidity, and in addition;
Providing excellent returns for our participants;
Attracting the most foreign portfolio investment; and
Improving internal operations (including being self sustaining).

Role in Botswana

The Botswana Stock Exchange is Botswana’s national stock exchange given the responsibility to operate and regulate the equities and fixed interest securities market. Formally established in 1989, the BSE continues to be pivotal to Botswana’s financial system, and in particular the capital market, as an avenue on which government, quasi- government and the private sector can raise debt and equity capital. The BSE plays host to the most preeminent companies doing business in Botswana. These companies represent a spectrum of industries and commerce, from Banking and financial services to Wholesaling and Retailing, Tourism and Information Technology.

To date, the BSE is one of Africa’s best performing stock exchanges, averaging 24% aggregate return in the past decade. This has allowed the BSE to be the third largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization, in Southern Africa.

Market Integrity

The Botswana Stock Exchange recognizes that its success largely depends on maintaining a fair and efficient market which seeks to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. The BSE promotes these ideals in the following ways:

The BSE ACT and Listing Requirements are designed to ensure orderly and fair markets
The establishment of Surveillance and Compliance Committees
use of spot checks on the transactions of the shares of a company in a close period to satisfy itself
Recruitment of compliment of well qualified professional staff. The professionals are dedicated to ensuring that market players on the BSE comply with the requirements of the legal framework and rules of the exchange with regard to investor protection and fair market practice.
Active pursuit of technological improvements to meet market participants requirements for reliability, integrity, performance, capacity and cost effectiveness
BSE and the Community

In the wake of debates regarding corporate obligations to their immediate community, the BSE sees its role beyond economic activity.

The BSE seeks to form partnership with non-profit sectors to ensure that all citizens are able to enjoy the benefits of a liberal economy. Specifically, the BSE is seeking to promote:

HIV/Aids awareness
Environmental protection
Equitable information dissemination and public education campaigns
Entrepreneurship