Chengetedzai Depository Company Ltd, Zimbabwe’s central securities depository (CSD), was reported that the last securities had been brought on board in March 2015, according to a report in Zimbabwe Mail. Old Mutual announced that its shares were also dematerialized with effect from 30 March.
CDCL announced last year that it had received due approvals to start operations and it went live in September 2014 with 3 securities onboard, and had extended that to 43 counters by January 2015.
CDCL had been publishing announcements as new shares are brought on board, and latest additions were Mashonaland Holdings, Old Mutual, Dawn Properties and others. There are some delays in the automation of Zimbabwe Stock Exchange trading system which is supposed to link to the CSD.
A CSD keeps a computerized register of securities ownership and also registers transfers after shares have been bought, sold or otherwise transferred. It replaces paper share certificates for most shareholders, in a process known as “dematerialization”. It links to systems for payment and clearance of trades.
The previous system saw clearing and settlement done between the stockbrokers on a T+7 schedule, Chengetedzai says it reduces settlement this to T+5.
Apparently local retail customers initially found it hard to understand that they must address settlement queries to a custodian, not to their stockbrokers as previously. Campbell Musiwa, Chengetedzai Depository Company chief executive said that CBZ Custodial Services had been set up as an “affordable” custodian for retail customers.
NewsDay reported in January that investors and stockbrokers were still breaking regulations by selling shares before dematerialization is complete. It added that only 1,557 accounts had been opened at Chengetedzai, of which 61% are for foreigners who work through global custodians (usually banks) who then relate to local custodians. Chengetedzai has been criticized for not doing enough to educate local shareholders to switch although it has worked with media and produced pamphlets.
Musiwa said there had been some delays in trade settlements if investors had traded before meeting the requirements but also: “There has been a marked improvement which resulted from continuous lobbying with market players to observe the rules,” he said
In April 2014 Chengetedzai Depository Company Ltd was reported by Standard Newspaper saying it was still waiting for licensing and for the award of a CSD levy by SECZ. Chengetedzai Depository Company won the tender to introduce the CSD in 2009 as reported on AfricanCapitalMarketsNews. After a shareholding dispute, it installed core software for operations that were planned for September 2013 but was held up while waiting for the licence.
In 2013, Chengetedzai raised nearly $2.5m through share issues, according to its annual report, including a successful $1.5m rights issue to finance the roll out of the CSD. The ZSE has invested $643,000 including $287,000 in the rights issue, according to its 2013 annual report, and holds a 15% stake after scaling up from 12.93% in January 2014. Chengetedzai’s 2013 annual report says that “quasi-government financial institutions” owned 56% and private investors 44%. Main shareholders were Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe, First Transfer Secretaries and ZB Financial Holdings with 15% each and the National Social Security Authority with 13% at 31 Dec 2013.
The software is Depo/X system supplied by CMA Small Systems ab of Sweden.