News

Zimbabwe will host a first-of-its-kind capital markets forum in August, supported by local and regional domestic capital powerhouses and leading private sector investors. Organised by experienced events company API Events (www.APIEvents.com), the forum co- coincides with a period of historic significance for the country's capital markets landscape.

Co-located with the 6th Annual ZimReal Property Forum, the ZFCF is the first investor- and deal-focused forum that brings the entire ecosystem of institutional capital and bankable assets under one roof domestically, uniting capital seekers and allocators while generating actionable deal flow.

Together, ZimReal and ZFCF are expected to attract over 400 delegates from more than 100 companies, with a spread of local, regional and international attendees.

The event is strongly supported by domestic capital heavyweights such as the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, the Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds, the Mining Industry Pension Fund and South Africa's Eskom Provident Pension Fund. Top executives from the Investor Hosting Centre (IHC), the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX), the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Arctic Blue Asset Management, MMC Capital Advisory and Terrace Africa, amongst others, also feature on the one-day programme.    

Aligning with watershed reforms

The ZCFC launches at an opportune moment for Zimbabwean capital, revolving around opportunities created by a revived landscape for investment. Driven by amendments undertaken over the past 24 months, including:

• Eased listing requirements
• Structural reweighting toward yield-oriented real assets
• Institutionalization of Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds
• Establishment of specialized investment frameworks (SPACs and ATPs) 
• Formation of the Zimbabwe Entrepreneurship Exchange (ZEEX)
• The 2026 promulgation of Statutory Instruments 62 and 63, firmly establishing the operational, membership, and trading architecture for the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX).

“Zimbabwe's capital markets have just been through arguably their most significant reset in a generation. Over the past two years the ecosystem and the infrastructure have been built,” says Murray Anderson, Commercial Director at event organizers API Events.

“But reform only matters if it reaches the market, and that is the purpose behind the ZFCF. The capital exists and the products are finally here; this forum is where they meet.”

The shared ZimReal/ZCFC opening plenary will explore how the reforms have created a platform for innovation across the investment ecosystem, including the country's stock exchanges.  

The combined value of the ZSE and VFEX now exceeds US$7 billion. The US-dollar-denominated VFEX has scaled quickly to roughly US$3.8 billion across 19 counters – propelled by Econet InfraCo's US$1 billion listing in March, the largest in the country's history – while the 132-year-old ZSE continues to anchor the market at around US$3.4 billion. The two exchanges now offer issuers and investors complementary local-currency and hard-currency routes to capital.

“Zimbabwe has made meaningful progress in strengthening its capital markets through reforms that have enhanced the investment ecosystem. The next phase is about creating a consistent pipeline of well-prepared, bankable investment opportunities that meet institutional investors' requirements,” said Benerdict Chisale, General Manager of the Investor Hosting Centre (IHC) – a platform for global investment in Africa.

The institutional prize: capital looking for a home

Zimbabwe's pension sector held approximately US$2.63 billion in assets at mid-2025, according to the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC).

Chisale said that the IHC's H1 2026 investment analysis illustrates that while liquidity exists within pension funds, asset managers and other institutions, the greatest challenge remains bridging the gap between available capital and investment-ready projects.

“Zimbabwe does not have a capital shortage; it has a bankability challenge. The winners in this new era will not simply be those with capital, but those who can structure investable opportunities that inspire investor confidence. That is the conversation the Zimbabwe Future Capital Forum should lead.”

Meanwhile, listed property, led by Tigere, Revitus, Eagle and Pfuma, has pushed past US$100 million in market capitalisation terms, cementing REITs as early movers and symbols of deepening local capital markets.

“The local REIT market continues to expand rapidly, thanks to growing institutional and retail demand for property-backed assets which provide a packaged combination of passive income, value preservation, yield uplift, and trading liquidity,” said Brett Abrahamse, Managing Director at Terrace Africa (REIT manager for the Tigere REIT).

Tinashe Kembo, Managing Director of Artic Blue Asset Management, REIT manager for the Pfuma Fund, said the fund's listing on the VFEX earlier this year had illustrated growing demand for USD-denominated assets.

"We've seen first-hand the appetite investors have for quality US dollar-denominated assets that offer both stability and genuine diversification in Zimbabwe's evolving economy. Pfuma Fund is proud to be part of the conversations shaping the real estate and capital markets in Zimbabwe, and ZimReal and ZFCF are one such platform.”

Capital and property – hand-in-hand

Following the joint opening, the ZFCF agenda will further probe how the reforms can be translated into concrete investment pipelines; the unlocking of pension capital and private equity; other non-bank alternatives; and various funding sources available to market players.

“Forums such as the ZCFC serve as great platforms to increase awareness and market knowledge of REITs, amongst other asset classes across our burgeoning capital markets,” Abrahamse said.

ZimReal's agenda will, as always, focus on the most pertinent topics shaping modern day real estate investment in Zimbabwe, from listed property and REIT performance, to residential, commercial, secondary city, green building and AI-enabled opportunities.

Anchoring both agendas is a convening of Zimbabwe's most consequential public and private sector players, from banks, pension funds, asset managers and private equity houses holding the capital, and the developers and listed funds turning it into yield and growth.

Event details:

• What: Inaugural Zimbabwe Future Capital Forum & the 6th Annual ZimReal Property Investment Forum (co-located)
• When: 26 August 2026
• Where: Hyatt Regency Harare, The Meikles
• Format: In-person
• Scale: 400+ delegates · 100+ companies · 10+ countries

For more information and to register, visit the Zimbabwe Future Capital Forum website here (https://apo-opa.co/4by0qbq) and the ZimReal website here (https://ZimReal.com). 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of API Events.

Enquiries: 
Dale Hes, Programmes and Communications Lead, API Events 
Tel: +27 (0) 81406 8840 
Email: dale@apievents.com  
 
Murray Anderson, Commercial Director, API Events 
Tel: +27 (0) 71 890 7739
Email: murray@apievents.com 

About API Events: 
Africa Property Investments (API) Events is Africa's leading B2B event and thought leadership platform for real estate investment and hotel development. Each year, its conferences, tours and experiences convene the most senior investors, developers, operators and capital providers in African real estate, create meaningful discussions and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of opportunities for attendees and partners.

The group's high-impact events (across Africa and beyond) span retail, multi-family, mixed-use, commercial and industrial, hospitality and lodging, and emerging asset classes.