Zimbabwe Introduces US Dollar Based Stock Exchange Market to Lure Foreign Investors

The Government of Zimbabwe has introduced US dollar based Stock Exchange market to lure global investors to the embattled economy.

The new stock exchange known as Victoria Falls Stock Exchange is a subsidiary of the Harare-based Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) and will commence trading on Monday, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.

According to the Minister of Finance, Zimbabwe, Mthuli Ncube, The new Exchange based in northwestern Victoria Falls, the country’s premier tourism destination – marked “the foundation stone” for building the town into an “offshore financial hub”.

He said “We saw an opportunity to work with the ZSE in creating a global platform for the trading of stocks in foreign currency, and to do it in a way that promotes foreign investment into Zimbabwe.”

The finance minister said the new bourse will cater mainly for mining conglomerates and giant international corporates such as insurance giant Old Mutual.

Zimbabwe continues to struggle with low foreign exchange amid worst economic crisis in more than a decade.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who came into power through military coup in 2017, blames the current economic crisis on unnamed “detractors” and Western-imposed sanctions.