Retail Bond System to Run on Dhow CDS, Not a New Platform
CBK confirms its retail bond system will operate on the Dhow CDS platform, not a new infrastructure, as bond turnover tops KSh 2 trillion...
✨ Key Highlights
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has clarified that its planned retail bond system will integrate with the existing Dhow Central Depository System (CDS), allaying concerns about a separate platform disrupting the Kenya's KSh 2 trillion bond market.
- The retail system will utilize the Dhow CDS framework already in use for institutional investors, ensuring alignment with current government securities infrastructure.
- Kamau Thugge, CBK Governor, confirmed the bank will not procure a new standalone retail bond platform.
- The clarification follows an earlier tender invitation that sparked speculation about bypassing the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), which recently saw annual bond turnover exceed KSh 2 trillion for the first time.
Continue Reading
Read the complete article from The Kenyan Wall Street
Part of the Day's Coverage
Kenya Reports Record Customs Revenue and Credit Growth; CBK Clarifies Bond System - October 2025
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) achieved a record collection of KSh 85.1 billion in customs taxes in September, exceeding its target by KSh 3.8 billion. This performance, driven by robust trade and petroleum imports, marked an 18.8% increase from the previous year. In another positive economic indicator, Kenya's private-sector credit reached an all-time high of KSh 3.96 trillion in September 2025, a strong recovery from a 2024 slowdown. This was the first sustained increase since mid-2022, driven by lower lending rates. In the financial markets, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) clarified that its planned retail bond system will integrate with the existing Dhow Central Depository System (CDS). This allayed concerns about a separate platform disrupting the country's KSh 2 trillion bond market.
