"An invitation to participate in a conference like this is both a validation and an opportunity," said Joshua Oigara, Group Chief Executive Officer Kenya Commercial Bank.
Nairobi, Kenya (PRWEB) March 06, 2014
Two Kenyan institutions - Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) - have become the first ever African corporations invited to the ROTH Capital Partners annual conference. One of the globe’s foremost financial advisory companies, StratLink Africa, Limited facilitated the invitations and is coordinating preparation and logistics for KCB and NSE to attend this, the 26th annual event.
ROTH, a leading global investment bank focused companies with small market capitalization, is headquartered in California and has offices in Boston, New York and Hong Kong. One of the largest events of its kind, their flagship three-day annual investment conference brings company executives face-to-face with more than 1,000 global investors, highlighting investment ideas from around the world and across sectors, including Business Services, Energy & Industrials, Healthcare, and Technology & Media.
"An invitation to participate in a conference like this is both a validation and an opportunity," said Joshua Oigara, Group Chief Executive Officer Kenya Commercial Bank. "It validates the work being done by all Kenyans, including us as a bank, to make Kenya an attractive investment market. And it is an opportunity to tell our story - Kenya's story and KCB’s story - to leading investors, and attract further investment."
As one of the biggest players in Kenya's vibrant banking and finance sector, Kenya Commercial Bank has been attracting many foreign investors. The bank is the country’s biggest by asset base (USD 2.4 billion), boasting a robust regional network across Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda. The conference will give the bank a platform to interest more investors and financial advisory companies in the region and address queries about the banking sector in East Africa.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange was ranked Africa’s top performing and the fourth best performing bourse globally for 2013 by the MSCI Index. Given their track record, NSE is strategically positioned for increased interest from foreign investors. “The invitation is a firm endorsement of the growth and potential witnessed in frontier capital markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Lina Nginja Senior Officer, Corporate Finance at NSE.
“It is a confirmation that NSE is indeed a leading securities exchange in Africa and increasingly assuming a pivotal position in the arena of global securities exchanges. The exchange is looking to have a global presence and leverage off synergies with other exchanges, firms and corporations in the industry in order to build a strong network that will help it realize its vision,” said Nginja.
According to Konstantin Makarov, Managing Director of StratLink Africa, the firm facilitating the delegations participation, this international platform is a perfect venue to profile the two Kenyan high-performers.
“Participation in the conference is by invitation only, so securing an invite really is a mark of true investment potential," said Makarov. "While we're in the US, we will focus on helping both KCB and NSE tell their individual stories compellingly. But we'll also be telling all the attendees about the unique investment opportunities we're seeing in Kenya right now, so that hopefully, at next year's conference, we can field an even greater delegation.”
Now in its 26th year, the ROTH Annual Conference runs from March 9th to the 12th in Newport Beach, California, USA. The delegation will depart from Nairobi on the 7 March 2014
Stratlink Africa, Limited (http://www.stratlinkglobal.com/) is a financial advisory company and risk management firm based in Kenya, offering services to a variety of financial institutions, manufacturing and service entities. Since inception in 2011, the company has carried out market research on the debt and equity markets, the political and economic environments of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia and select countries in West Africa, such as Ghana and Nigeria.