(Business in Cameroon) – Brokerage firms licensed by the Central African Stock Exchange (BVMAC) executed transactions worth CFA2.7 billion in Q4 2024. This represents a 21% drop from the previous quarter, when transactions had reached CFA3.4 billion.
According to BVMAC’s quarterly report, the decline is due to “a slight contraction in the number of transactions and a reduction in the participation of brokerage firms compared to the third quarter.” The report revealed that only 12 out of 24 licensed brokerage firms were active in the market during Q4 2024, reflecting a 50% participation rate, down from 62.5% in Q3 2024 — a 12.5% decrease.
One firm, however, stood out for its performance: EDC Investment, the brokerage subsidiary of the pan-African banking group Ecobank. EDC Investment showed impressive growth, climbing seven positions to take third place. The firm executed 14 transactions, involving 24,311 securities worth CFA246.4 million. This was a significant increase from the previous quarter, where it had transacted only CFA19.6 million, with just 920 securities.
Despite EDC Investment’s strong performance, the fourth quarter market activity was largely driven by Emrald Securities Services Bourse (ESS Bourse). After no transactions in Q3 2024, ESS Bourse emerged as the market leader in Q4 with CFA1.6 billion in transactions, based on just two trades involving 200,000 securities.
Following ESS Bourse, SG Capital Cemac, the brokerage firm of French bank Société Générale, recorded transactions worth just over CFA386 million, involving 30,900 securities.
BVMAC’s report also highlighted the key drivers of market activity. The most traded stocks during this period were from companies in the palm oil and rubber industries, including Socapalm and Safacam, as well as banking services from La Régionale, mineral water from Semc, and insurance from SCG-Ré. On the bond side, government securities from Cameroon (ECMR8, ECMR10), Gabon (EGA07), Chad (ETD01), and BEAC (EBD03) played a major role in the market dynamics.
