A global investment platform that enables users to buy and sell local and U.S. stocks directly from their mobile phones has launched in Nigeria.

The investment trading platform, Treegar, gives users access to NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange, granting them access to 8000+ stocks.

On a clear mission to provide access to global financial markets in the most seamless and cost-effective way possible to Africans, Treegar allows anybody with a BVN to invest with as little as one dollar.

Speaking at the launch, the firm’s co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Ariyo Raji said: “Treegar is not just an investment platform. We want to make investing a lifestyle for Africans. We will continue to innovate and push out value-added offerings that drive financial literacy, wealth generation and build the culture of investing in Africa.”

Raji added that the firm was planning to roll out in Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the coming months. 

“As a regulatory compliant company, Treegar has partnered with Alpaca, a U.S. based broker in global digital trading, a member of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),” he added.

On how secure the platform is, Treegar’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ayo Ogunlowo, disclosed that major compliance and technical requirements had been incorporated in partnership with secured payment gateways, proven identity verification companies and a host of other anti-money laundering entities.

“Also, each U.S. stocks trading account is insured up to $500,000 by the SIPC,” he added.

Giving further insight on why they came up with the platform, Ariyo said: “Although the world is becoming a global village, it isn’t entirely true for the investment space. Economies within and outside Africa have localised exchanges with limited cross-border access. Developing economies in Africa cannot seamlessly access global investment options and vice versa. Our mission is to provide access to financial markets in the most seamless way possible to everyone.”