Here you will get to understand how to fill your profile, deposit/fund your account, and get started on Investing.
Updating Your Profile
Before you begin investing, you will have to update your profile.
On the Web Platform, go to the upper right-hand corner and hover on your profile image, then click on My Profile, fill in all the relevant sections correctly and upload any necessary documents.
On the Mobile App, go to the menu, click on Apply for trading. For Kenyans with a Kenyan ID, you can do the Partial Profile update whereby you only need your National ID number and Registered Phone Number.
For Kenyans without a Kenyan ID and International Investors, you can only do the Full KYC (Know Your Client) as required by law.
Funding Your Account
Before you begin investing, you will have to deposit money into your Abacus Investment Account.
To deposit money into your account;
On the Web Platform, go to the upper right-hand corner and hover on your profile image, then click on Fund My Account, choose your preferred method of deposit from the ones listed, namely;
- Mpesa
- Bank Transfer
- PesaPal
- Simba Pay
- Wave
On the Mobile App, go to the menu, click on Deposit/Withdraw choose your preferred method of deposit from the ones listed, namely;
- Mpesa
- Simba Pay
- Wave Transfer
- Bank Transfer
There are various methods available to you for funding your Abacus Investment Trading Account.
We recommend using M-Pesa as it is cheaper, faster, and more convenient.
Investing
Stocks
To invest in Stocks please follow the procedure below.
On the Web Platform, go to Buy/Sell Shares;
- Enter the Name of the Company you want to buy shares from
- Enter the price you want to buy at being sure to look at the recommended price range and gauging yours accordingly (through the Bids & Asks for Premium Users)
- Enter the number of Shares in lots of 100 e. g. 100, 200, 300, 400, and so on
- Enter your Validity Date, this is a date at which if your order has NOT been fulfilled, it expires
- Confirm your order and proceed to place it in the market
- Enter the Name of the Company whose shares you would like to sell
- Enter the price you want to sell at being sure to look at the recommended price range and gauging yours accordingly (through the Bids & Asks for Premium Users)
- Enter the number of Shares in lots of 100 e. g. 100, 200, 300, 400, and so on
- Enter your Validity Date, this is a date at which if your order has NOT been fulfilled, it expires
- Confirm your order and proceed to place it in the market
On the Mobile App Platform, go to Invest, then click on Stocks;
To Buy Shares On The Mobile App
- Search for the Company you want to buy shares from
- Click on the Green Buy Button
- Enter the price you want to buy at being sure to look at the recommended price range and gauging yours accordingly
- Enter the number of Shares in lots of 100 e. g. 100, 200, 300, 400 and so on
- Enter your Validity Date, this is a date at which if your order has NOT been fulfilled, it expires
- Confirm your order and proceed to place it in the market
To Sell Shares On The Mobile App
- Go to your Portfolio or Search for the Company whose shares you would like to sell
- Click on the Red Sell Button
- Enter the price you want to sell at being sure to look at the recommended price range and gauging yours accordingly
- Enter the number of Shares in lots of 100 e. g. 100, 200, 300, 400 and so on
- Enter your Validity Date, this is a date at which if your order has NOT been fulfilled, it expires
- Confirm your order and proceed to place it in the market
Unit Trusts
On the Web Platform, go to Unit Trusts then click on Buy & Sell;
- Click on the Buy/Deposit Button
- Select the Fund, (Please note we currently only offer Sanlam Pesa + and Old Mutual Money Market Fund for Purchase)
- Enter the price you want to buy the fund at noting the following minimum amounts required for each unit trust;
- Sanlam Pesa + minimum investment is KES 2,500
- Old Mutual Money Market Fund minimum investment is KES 1,000
- On the Treatment of Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains, select whether to;
- Reinvest In Fund - meaning the money earned through Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains will be reinvested in the selected Unit Trust
- Deposit in My Abacus Account - meaning the money earned through Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains will be deposited into your Abacus Investment Account
- Click View Charges on the Right Hand Side of your order to understand the cost of your Unit Trust Order
- Click on Preview Order and confirm all the details entered are correct
- Confirm your Order and proceed to place it in the market
- Click on the Sell/Withdraw Button
- Select the Fund, (Please note we currently only offer Sanlam Pesa + and Old Mutual Money Market Fund for Purchase)
- Enter the price you want to sell the fund at noting the following minimum amounts required for each unit trust;
- Sanlam Pesa + minimum investment is KES 2,500
- Old Mutual Money Market Fund minimum investment is KES 1,000
- You can then choose;
- Select Fund - search for the Unit Trust you would like to Sell
- Funds I already Own - select from a drop-down Menu the specific Unit Trust you would like to Sell
- Click My Holdings on the Right Hand Side of your order to see how much you have in your various Unit Trust Holdings
- Enter the amount you would like to Sell
- Click on Preview Order and confirm all the details entered are correct
- Confirm your Order by clicking withdraw and wait for it to be processed
To Buy Unit Trusts On The Mobile App
- Scroll down and select the Fund, (Please note we currently only offer Sanlam Pesa + and Old Mutual Money Market Fund for Purchase)
- Click on the Green Buy Button
- Enter the price you want to buy the fund at noting the following minimum amounts required for each unit trust;
- Sanlam Pesa + minimum investment is KES 2,500
- Old Mutual Money Market Fund minimum investment is KES 1,000
- On the Treatment of Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains, select whether to;
- Reinvest In Fund - meaning the money earned through Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains will be reinvested in the selected Unit Trust
- Deposit in My Abacus Account - meaning the money earned through Dividends, Interest and Capital Gains will be deposited into your Abacus Investment Account
- Confirm your Order by clicking purchase and proceed to place it in the market
To Sell Unit Trusts On The Mobile App
- Go to your Portfolio or Scroll down and select the Fund you would like to sell, (Please note we currently only offer Sanlam Pesa + and Old Mutual Money Market Fund for Purchase)
- Click on the Red Sell Button
- Enter the price you want to sell the fund at noting the following minimum amounts required for each unit trust;
- Sanlam Pesa + minimum investment is KES 2,500
- Old Mutual Money Market Fund minimum investment is KES 1,000
- Confirm your Order by clicking withdraw and wait for it to be processed
Please note that Unit Trust's Purchase processing takes 3 working days.
Please note that Unit Trust's Withdrawal processing takes 4 working days.
T-Bills
Investing in government T-Bills has been simplified by Abacus.
On the Web Platform, go to Bill's & Bonds then click on Overview, here you will be able to see Charts on T-bills and the various T-bills on Offer.
- Click on Buy
- Choose the Tenor of the Bill using the drop-down menu, this is either 91 days, 182 days or 364 days
- Enter the amount noting the minimum deposit criteria of KES 100,000 on the right side of your screen under the Snapshot Tab
- Pick an Interest Rate, you can either choose;
- Non Competitive / Average Rate - Here, you pick the rate that has been put by CBK (Central Bank of Kenya)
Competitive Rate (%) - Here, you input your own rate
- Click View Charges on the Right Hand Side of your order to understand the cost of your T-bill Order
- Click on Preview Order and confirm all the details entered are correct
- Confirm your Order and proceed to place it in the market
Please note that T-Bill processing takes a week.
Happy Investing 😊