JSE promotes African exchanges for tech startup listings via new AT50 Index

Sponsored content: The Johannesburg Stock Exchange hosted the African activation of the AT50 Index on Wednesday, promoting local listings over Nasdaq/LSE for Africa's scaled private tech companies. The rules-based benchmark, launched at LSE in January, aims to make continent-leading startups visible to institutional investors before public listings or liquidity events. Gbite Oduneye, AT50 Chair, noted founders often overlook African exchanges despite domestic businesses creating wealth across countries, stating 'We need more conversations' about local listings after venture capital. Sam Mokorosi of JSE explained technology firms eventually reach scale where VC rounds aren't sufficient, shifting focus to accessing appropriate capital through exchange reforms that simplify listings while preserving governance standards. The AT50's next African activation occurs at Cairo's Egyptian Exchange on September 23 as organisers engage exchanges continent-wide. Oduneye highlighted African tech companies' 15-year maturation but stressed missing consistent measurement tools—which AT50 provides to bridge the capital markets gap. JSE views attracting these firms as key to strengthening Africa's markets, with Mokorosi emphasizing efficient capital access and strong governance as complementary. South Africa's government links deep capital markets to digital economy ambitions, with Khusela Sangoni calling governance 'a competitive advantage.' Fintech leaders like Yoco's Höltkemeyer and Flutterwave's Chiwara stressed operational maturity and balancing product investment with compliance, noting scaling requires strengthening underlying systems before pursuing growth opportunities. While liquidity and investor appetite challenges persist on African exchanges, organisers believe foundational conversations must start now before next-gen tech champions reach public markets. Will you consider African exchanges like JSE or Cairo for your tech venture's future listing, or do international markets still offer essential advantages?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/07/15/at50-african-activation-jse/