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Why Building an OTC Platform Matters So Much to Me, Africa, and Veri

  • Jan 22
  • 2 min read

Over-the-counter (OTC) markets don’t often get the attention they deserve.


They aren’t as visible as stock exchanges. They don’t come with the same headlines or daily price tickers. But in many economies — especially developing and transitioning ones — OTC markets are where real economic activity quietly takes place.


That’s why I believe building a Pan-African OTC platform with secondary market functionality is one of the most important things we can do for Africa.


Man in a suit sits at a table with hands clasped, looking serious. Text reads "Chairman, veri group." Grey background.

Across the continent, there are countless investable opportunities that simply don’t fit traditional exchange listings. Loan notes. Promissory notes. Corporate debt. Structured instruments. Early-stage and growth capital that is too mature to be informal, yet too specialised or early to be listed.


Historically, these opportunities have existed — but in isolation.


They’ve been local. Relationship-driven. Illiquid. Often opaque. And once capital was deployed, it was effectively locked in. That lack of liquidity alone has discouraged significant participation, even where risk and return made sense.


Liquidity changes everything.


By introducing secondary market functionality into an OTC environment, you fundamentally alter the risk profile of investing. Capital is no longer trapped. Investors gain optionality. Pricing becomes more transparent. Confidence increases — not because risk disappears, but because it becomes manageable.


This is particularly important for Africa.


Africa doesn’t lack capital — it lacks circulation. Capital needs pathways. It needs exits. It needs infrastructure that allows it to move responsibly across borders and asset types. An OTC platform does exactly that.


For issuers, it opens access to a broader pool of capital without forcing them into structures that don’t suit their stage or nature. For investors, it creates exposure to real economic activity with the ability to rebalance, exit, or diversify over time.


For Veri, this environment is a natural extension of what we’re building.


Listed markets are essential, but they’re not the whole picture. If our goal is to create a truly connected African investment ecosystem, we can’t ignore where most businesses actually operate — outside the exchange.


An OTC platform allows us to bridge that gap. To bring structure, governance, and visibility to markets that have historically relied on trust alone. To work alongside regulators, custodians, and institutions to formalise what already exists, rather than trying to replace it.


And importantly, this isn’t just about Africa.


A properly governed OTC environment makes African opportunities accessible to global investors who are looking for yield, diversification, and exposure to real growth — but require transparency, rules, and exit routes.


This is how Africa becomes investable at scale.


Not through hype. Not through shortcuts. But through infrastructure that respects risk, regulation, and long-term capital.


That’s why this matters to me. That’s why it matters to Veri. And that’s why it matters to Africa’s future.


Question: How much untapped opportunity exists simply because capital doesn’t yet have the right structure to move?


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