MANZINI – The Eswatini Stock Exchange will host a business seminar during the ongoing Trade Fair, exploring how capital markets can unlock growth, investment and wealth creation for businesses.
The seminar, themed ‘Unlocking Business Growth Through Capital Markets’, is scheduled for Thursday, from 1pm to 3:30pm at the UNDP Sustainable Centre during the Eswatini International Trade Fair.
The engagement is expected to provide businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and members of the public with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how capital markets can support business expansion while opening avenues for investment and wealth creation.
The local bourse is positioning the seminar as an insightful conversation on the role that capital markets can play in creating opportunities for businesses to access funding beyond traditional sources of finance.
Among the key issues to be unpacked will be mobilising capital for businesses, with discussions expected to focus on how companies can tap into different sources of funding to finance expansion, improve their operations and pursue new opportunities.
The seminar will also examine investment opportunities for the public, potentially giving members of the public greater insight into how they can participate in the country’s capital markets and build wealth through investment.
Another key focus will be investment-readiness for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, an area that remains critical as businesses seek to transition from informal or small-scale operations into more structured and investment-ready enterprises.
For SMEs, access to finance remains an important consideration in determining their ability to grow, create employment and contribute meaningfully to economic activity.
The seminar will therefore provide a platform to discuss what businesses need to do to become attractive to potential investors and financiers, including the importance of sound financial management, governance, proper business structures and credible growth strategies.
The relationship between capital markets and bank finance will also form part of the discussion.
This is particularly relevant for businesses that have traditionally relied heavily on commercial banks for funding. The engagement could provide clarity on how bank finance and capital-market funding can complement each other, rather than being viewed as competing alternatives.
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