The Kenya Capital Markets Authority has granted new licences to firms seeking to operate as market intermediaries across several parts of the capital markets, covering investment advisory, Real Estate Investment Trust management, coffee brokerage and digital intermediation. The approvals bring in Finaltus Limited as an Investment Adviser, Istithmaar Lulu Maknoon Limited as a Real Estate Investment Trust manager, Saffron Coffee Marketers Limited as a Coffee Broker and Frictionless Enterprises Limited, trading as Power®, as an Intermediary Service Platform Provider. Each licence expands a distinct market segment. Finaltus can now provide investment advisory services drawing on its corporate finance, due diligence and strategic advisory capabilities across listed and non-listed entities. Istithmaar Lulu Maknoon enters as a Shariah-compliant Real Estate Investment Trust manager with a mandate spanning Shariah-compliant projects, Real Estate Investment Trusts, private equity funds and investor capital. Saffron Coffee Marketers has been licensed to provide coffee brokerage services, with a stated focus on coffee estate farmers in Embu County. Power® can formalise its digital "Save" offering, allowing users to invest in money market funds managed by Capital Markets Authority-regulated fund managers through integrations with employer payroll systems and fund manager back-end systems, while the fund managers retain responsibility for fund management, unitisation and custodial reconciliation. The firm had previously participated in the Authority’s Regulatory Sandbox before seeking a full licence under the new framework. The Authority also reminded licensees that they remain subject to ongoing requirements on fit-and-proper standards, capital adequacy, corporate governance, investor disclosures, custody and segregation of client assets, anti-money laundering compliance and continuing reporting. It urged the public to invest only through licensed intermediaries and platforms.

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