The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is quietly orchestrating a revolution: 24-hour trading. With profits surging 13.2% and cutting-edge infrastructure boasting 99.94% uptime, the JSE could soon transform Africa into a global investment playground, accessible around the clock.
- Strong Earnings and Global Ambitions at Africa’s LeadingStock Exchange
- Resilient Earnings and the Logic Behind 24-Hour Market Access
- Africa: The Next Laboratory for Technological Innovation?
- Exceptional Sectoral Opportunities
- Artificial Intelligence in Service of Africa
- Key Advantages Driving African Trading
- Africa’s Financial Hubs Are Evolving
- Investing in Africa: Returns, Impact, and Long-Term Vision
We are investigating this avenue and we’ll work with our market to make sure that we deliver what’s right for the South African market.
Leila Fourie, JSE Group CEO
In the glass towers of Sandton, Johannesburg’s financial district, a quiet revolution is taking shape. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), a key economic pillar of the continent and ranked among the world’s top 20 exchanges by market capitalization, has just announced exceptional half-year results: net profit after tax is up 13.2% to 557.8 million rand, with operating revenue rising by 11.4%.
Strong Earnings and Global Ambitions at Africa’s Leading
Stock Exchange
This strong performance coincides with the JSE’s serious consideration of 24-hour trading, an innovation that could position Africa as a new promised land for global investors. The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have applied in recent months to extend their trading hours and the London Stock Exchange is also considering it.
This strategic move is also part of a broader continental trend, as African stock exchanges increasingly rewrite the rules to attract global investment flows.
Resilient Earnings and the Logic Behind 24-Hour Market Access
The JSE’s CEO welcomed the move by major global exchanges toward 24-hour trading, describing it as “net positive and beneficial for South Africa”, particularly given the country’s high number of dual-listed companies. The numbers speak for themselves: equity trading revenue jumped by 28%, post-
trade services increased by 17%, and information services grew by 5%.
This approach reflects a sophisticated understanding of global capital flows. With 24- hour trading under consideration, African markets could eventually become accessible across all time zones, allowing Asian, European, and American investors to engage with the continent’s assets in near real time.
Africa: The Next Laboratory for Technological Innovation?
This transformation highlights the emergence of a cutting-edge African financial ecosystem. With 99.94% uptime across all its markets and infrastructure described as “robust and resilient,” the JSE is developing next-generation technological solutions.
Its modernization program, designed in partnership with Amazon Web Services and Nasdaq, integrates artificial intelligence to deliver innovative market tools. The broker dealer accounting (BDA) system is on an accelerated upgrade schedule, with a pilot phase already ahead of expectations.
Other African exchanges are moving in the same direction: Nigeria is developing AI-powered trading platforms, Kenya is piloting blockchain to secure transactions, and Egypt is automating its processes to attract increased capital flows, particularly from the Gulf.
Exceptional Sectoral Opportunities
The JSE’s half-year results highlight African sectors with exceptional potential:
- Capital Markets: Double-digit growth driven by primary market revenues (+8%), equity trading (+28%), and financial derivatives (+21%).
- Post-Trade Services: A sharp rise in clearing and settlement revenues (+33%), reflecting the intensification of trading activity.
- Information Services: Steady growth (+5%) supported by the launch of JSE Trade Explorer, giving investors unique access to in-depth exchange analytics.
This constant market responsiveness is multiplying investment opportunities. Specialized funds are identifying temporal “sweet spots”, time zone-specific windows during which African stocks outperform due to localized events or catalysts.
Artificial Intelligence in Service of Africa
African stock exchanges are investing heavily in artificial intelligence to prepare their markets for extended trading hours. The JSE is actively exploring AI-driven solutions to deliver market innovations and enhance operational efficiency.
Our resilience through dynamic market cycles demonstrates the strength of our earnings diversification strategy. We recorded revenue growth across
Leila Fourie, JSE Group CEO
most of our asset classes with increased activity in our equity market and consistent execution across our core business lines.
These systems analyze African consumption patterns, agricultural cycles, and local industrial rhythms to identify unique trading opportunities. AI is turning Africa’s specificities into competitive advantages.
Key Advantages Driving African Trading
- Natural Resources : Africa holds 60% of the world’s cobalt reserves, 80% of platinum, and 50% of gold. Extended trading hours would enable investors to capitalize on every movement in these strategic markets. Anglo American, Impala Platinum, and AngloGold Ashanti could become accessible around the clock.
- Emerging Technology : Naspers, Africa’s tech giant, would benefit from continuous market exposure. MTN Group, with 280 million subscribers, offers unique growth opportunities across a continent where mobile penetration is accelerating rapidly.
- Financial Services : Standard Bank, FirstRand, and Capitec Bank are developing groundbreaking fintech solutions aimed at bringing financial inclusion to over 400 million unbanked Africans.
- Africa also has a unique demographic opportunity. The continent holds a key advantage envied by the rest of the world: its youth. With a median age of just 19, the continent has a rapidly expanding workforce. This demographic momentum translates into sustained economic growth and exceptional investment opportunities.
The JSE’s “Claim It” initiative is a clear example of this trend. Since its launch in March 2025, nearly 65,000 individuals have checked their eligibility for dividends, with over 8,200 people identified as having unclaimed entitlements.
The structure has developed sophisticated protection systems to support its potential shift toward extended trading. Its robust operational processes ensure exceptional service continuity, as evidenced by a 99.94% uptime rate.
The development of a central clearing solution for the electronic bond trading platform, via JSE Clear, aims to broaden access to bond markets, boost trading liquidity, and reduce counterparty credit risk.
Africa’s Financial Hubs Are Evolving
- Johannesburg: Ranked among the world’s top 20 by market capitalization, with 137 years of history and a market value of 21 trillion rand (as of July 2025). Key sectors: mining, banking, and telecommunications.
- Lagos: Experiencing explosive growth, with a strong focus on technology and services, serving a domestic market of 200 million consumers.
- Casablanca: The financial hub of the Maghreb, acting as a gateway to Europe, with a specialization in renewable energy.
- Cairo: A reviving emerging market, home to 100 million consumers, with strong prospects in real estate and industry.
- Nairobi: A center of fintech innovation and modern agriculture, with a strategic position in East Africa.
Investing in Africa: Returns, Impact, and Long-Term Vision
Africa offers a unique multiplier effect for international capital. Every dollar invested fuels the real economy: listed companies reinvest heavily in infrastructure, job creation, and local talent development. This virtuous cycle is drawing the attention of sovereign wealth funds, impact investors, and ESG-focused managers seeking both sustainable returns and measurable social outcomes.
Winning strategies rely on three key pillars:
- Sectoral diversification across natural resources, technology, finance, and consumer-driven industries.
- A targeted regional approach, combining mature markets like South Africa, high-growth engines like Nigeria, innovation hubs like Kenya, and stable gateways such as Morocco.
- A long-term vision, aligned with the continent’s structural trends: rapid urbanization, industrial transition, and digital revolution.
Access to African markets has never been easier. International brokers, specialized ETFs, and regional funds are multiplying points of entry. Meanwhile, the JSE is modernizing its infrastructure with cloud-based systems and streamlined data distribution, facilitating access for global investors.
But 24-hour trading, still under review, is only one facet of a broader transformation. The continent is building a next-generation financial ecosystem, from integrated regional exchanges to modernized payment systems and advanced digital platforms.
As we continue to advance our strategic agenda of positioning the JSE as a future-fit and sustainable exchange, our operational resilience, diverse
Leila Fourie, JSE Group CEO
revenue streams and advancements in cutting-edge technology provide a secure foundation for delivering on our long-term strategic goals and driving our future success.
For visionary investors, the opportunity is clear: to take part in the rise of a continent that is young, resource-rich, and now charting its own course in global financial innovation. Africa is no longer catching up. It’s taking the lead, perhaps soon, around the clock.
