Features that define Ndovu

Automated portfolios and intuitive design

Ndovu is built around the principle of simplicity and long-term wealth creation. Unlike manual trading platforms, Ndovu leverages expert-designed, algorithmically managed portfolios tailored to your financial goals—whether it's retirement, education, or general savings. Investors complete a short risk-profiling questionnaire, and the platform allocates assets accordingly across local and global markets.

The interface is minimal and mobile-optimised, offering real-time portfolio tracking, contribution scheduling, and diversification breakdowns. Users don't need to pick individual stocks—Ndovu does the heavy lifting through professionally balanced ETFs and fixed-income products.

The platform is particularly suited for passive investors and busy professionals who want exposure to global markets without daily market monitoring. With dark mode, Swahili support, and easy onboarding via smartphone, it's built for accessibility.

• Goal-based investing: retirement, education, savings

• Globally diversified ETF portfolios

• Automated rebalancing and dividend reinvestment

• User-friendly mobile experience

• Available in Swahili and optimised for low-data usage

Smart investing without manual trading

Ndovu doesn't require users to monitor prices or enter buy/sell orders. Instead, portfolios are rebalanced periodically based on market shifts and the client's risk profile. You can track your portfolio's value in real time, set up auto-deposits, and receive email reports on performance and global market outlooks.

This passive approach helps eliminate emotional trading and reduces exposure to volatility through diversification. It's ideal for anyone who wants consistent, long-term financial growth with minimal intervention.

• No manual stock picking or day trading required

• Global ETFs from iShares, Vanguard, and more

• Performance reports and risk profile reviews

• Goal tracking tools and contribution planning

• Custom portfolios are available for advanced users

Educational content and financial literacy

Ndovu is also an educational platform. It provides beginner-friendly explainers on investing, market trends, asset allocation, and inflation. Each user receives tailored articles, budgeting tips, and quarterly market commentary written by licensed investment professionals.

Its blog, newsletters, and webinars focus on financial literacy for African investors, with content in both English and Swahili. Whether you're new to investing or want to understand ETFs and risk better, Ndovu offers a learning path that doesn't require technical expertise.

• Weekly blog updates and how-to guides

• Glossary of financial terms inside the app

• Interactive onboarding with educational prompts

• Localised content focused on Kenyan markets

• Quarterly investment reports written by CFA holders

Regulation and compliance of Ndovu

Ndovu operates as a fully licensed investment advisor under the oversight of Kenya's Capital Markets Authority (CMA). This ensures full compliance with investor protection standards, anti-money laundering regulations, and operational transparency.

• Capital Markets Authority (CMA) License: Authorised and regulated to offer discretionary investment services and robo-advisory products in Kenya, and operates under strict regulatory supervision, including periodic audits and compliance reporting.

• Client fund segregation: All client deposits are held in separate trust accounts with licensed custodians, ensuring the safety of assets and operational independence.

• Data security and KYC: Ndovu implements two-factor authentication, biometric login, and full Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance at onboarding, ensuring data privacy and account protection.

Available assets on Ndovu

Globally diversified ETFs

Ndovu primarily invests in low-cost, globally diversified Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) through its partner custodians. These ETFs are selected based on asset allocation strategies that match each user's risk tolerance and investment goals. The ETFs are sourced from trusted issuers, such as iShares (BlackRock) and Vanguard.

By investing in ETFs, users gain exposure to thousands of individual stocks and bonds across various markets, including the U.S., Europe, Asia, and emerging economies, all from a single fund.

• U.S. total market ETFs (e.g. VTI, SPY)

• International developed markets (e.g. IEFA)

• Emerging market ETFs (e.g. IEMG)

• Bond ETFs for stability (e.g. BND, AGG)

• Thematic ETFs for long-term trends (optional)

Local fixed-income products

For conservative portfolios and income-focused investors, Ndovu incorporates allocations to Kenyan Treasury Bills and Bonds. These government-backed instruments offer predictable returns and are considered low-risk compared to equities.

Ndovu selects maturity durations and weighting based on the investor's profile, adding local diversification and currency stability to portfolios.

• Kenyan Treasury Bonds (long-term)

• T-Bills with 91, 182, and 364-day terms

• Government paper issued via the Central Bank

Multi-asset portfolio exposure

All investment strategies on Ndovu are built using diversified combinations of assets across sectors and geographies. This multi-asset approach provides exposure to:

• Global equities

• Government and corporate bonds

• Emerging and frontier markets

• Short-term cash and money market equivalents

Ethical and Shariah-compliant options

Ndovu also offers Shariah-compliant portfolios designed to meet the needs of ethical investors. These portfolios exclude companies involved in alcohol, gambling, weapons, and interest-based financial products, in line with Islamic finance principles.

• Shariah-compliant global equity ETFs

• Exclusion of non-halal sectors

• Annual audits by Shariah boards

Why Pepperstone is a strong alternative

Locally regulated with global reach

While Ndovu is a powerful platform for passive, long-term investing, Pepperstone offers a more active, hands-on alternative for traders who want access to short-term global markets. Like Ndovu, Pepperstone is also regulated by Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA), making it one of the few international brokers licensed to operate in the country.

This shared regulatory approval gives Pepperstone and Ndovu an equal footing in terms of investor protection, compliance, and legal oversight in Kenya, but their strategies and audiences differ significantly.

• CMA-regulated and legally recognised in Kenya

• Also licensed by FCA, ASIC, DFSA, and CySEC

• Ideal for Kenyan traders seeking global exposure

Full market access and trading control

Pepperstone empowers users to trade directly in forex, indices, metals, and cryptocurrency markets using professional-grade tools such as MetaTrader, cTrader, and TradingView. This is a stark contrast to Ndovu’s hands-off approach, which automates everything through ETFs and bonds for long-term growth.

Active traders who want to speculate, hedge, or use leverage will find Pepperstone more aligned with their goals, especially given its low spreads, real-time execution, and ability to implement custom strategies.

• Access to 1,200+ CFD instruments

• Trade forex pairs, indices, commodities, and crypto

• Use MT4/MT5, TradingView, and cTrader platforms

• Build and test automated trading systems

• Advanced tools are unavailable on Ndovu

Cost, execution speed, and customisation

Pepperstone’s infrastructure is designed for efficiency. With fast execution, no deposit fees (including M-Pesa), and Razor accounts offering raw spreads, it caters to cost-sensitive and performance-driven traders. Ndovu, in contrast, focuses on long-term value accumulation through dollar-cost averaging and periodic rebalancing, not short-term execution.

• Spreads from 0.0 pips with low commissions

• Execution via Equinix data centres

• Supports scalping, hedging, and EA trading

• Free deposits/withdrawals, including local methods

When to choose Pepperstone over Ndovu

If you want to build long-term wealth automatically and avoid active decision-making, Ndovu is ideal. But if you prefer full control, tactical execution, and global market breadth, Pepperstone is the better fit. It complements Ndovu by offering tools for short-term gains, active portfolio management, and risk hedging.

• Better for active traders and forex specialists

• Ideal for market timing and tactical positions

• Suited for those comfortable with volatility

• Licensed in Kenya and across major financial jurisdictions