INTRODUCING | The Hedera Foundation Announces the Launch of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) Innovation Lab

The Hedera Foundation, together with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and Hashgraph, has announced the launch of the new NSE Innovation Lab – a pioneering initiative to transform, deepen, and expand Africa’s capital markets.

According to the Hedera Foundation announcement, the NSE Innovation Lab will serve as the Nairobi Securities Exchange’s strategic engine for applied innovation – a collaborative space where cutting edge technology meets African capital markets to unlock new frontiers in liquidity, efficiency, and financial inclusion.

The announcement follows a 2024 admission of the NSE as the 32nd member of the Hedera Council, a diverse group of globally recognized organizations that operate and govern the decentralized Hedera network. The NSE joined other Council members in running a node on the Hedera network and holding equal voting power in the governance of Hedera’s software and services.

As part of the launch, the NSE announced that the Hedera Foundation and Hashgraph are the first strategic technology partners to join the Innovation Lab, marking a major milestone in the Exchange’s mission to build a digitally enabled, globally connected marketplace.

“The NSE Innovation Lab is a catalyst for capital markets transformation,” said Frank Mwiti, Chief Executive of the NSE.

“By bringing together innovators, market participants, and global technology pioneers such as the Hedera Foundation and Hashgraph, we are creating a platform for experimentation, learning, and invention that will power the next generation of Africa’s capital markets.”

“We’re deeply proud to collaborate with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) to help them in their mission to accelerate the digital transformation of Africa’s capital markets via the Hedera network,” said Gregg Bell, Chief Business Office at HBAR, Inc, a subsidiary of Hedera Foundation SEZC.

“As a Hedera Council member, NSE is showcasing the power of this organization to pioneer institutional-grade development across the globe.”

“Partnering with the Nairobi Securities Exchange and Hedera Foundation is an important step toward building more open and trusted financial systems,” said Eric Piscini, CEO of Hashgraph.

“By working together, we can use our expertise and assets in tokenization to grow and expand markets in Africa.”

Through the Lab, NSE will design, test, and scale breakthrough solutions that directly advance its 2025–2029 strategy thereby:

• Deepening capital markets
• Expanding retail participation, and
• Unlocking access to finance for SMEs and women-owned enterprises.

The goal of the Lab is to accelerate innovation in:

• Sustainable finance
• Digital assets
• Tokenized instruments, and
• Intelligent market data systems

while pioneering new models for:

• Regional market connectivity
• Investor inclusion, and
• Product development.