Leila Fourie - 17th Edition Cover Icon

Celebrating 20 Years of Gender Empowerment With Our Cover Icon Catch Up

As part of our tech enablement journey, we have embarked on a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to modernise our core systems. Great inroads have been made over the past year, and we have successfully met several milestones within this journey including the delivery of the AWS cloud foundations, to name a few.

We recently announced a collaboration with Nasdaq to further modernise our technology ecosystem. This collaboration is centred around the development of services for colocation – a service that allows clients to place their trading equipment in the JSE’s data centre to enable faster access to all its markets, data intelligence and insights. Joining forces with Nasdaq, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, will serve to further entrench our tech enablement journey, allowing us to leverage edge computing infrastructure, explore AI to deliver innovative market solutions and drive operational efficiencies.

The Nasdaq / AWS market infrastructure will open the door to greater global market interconnectivity with minimal latency, which will support increased liquidity and capital flows between the US and South African capital markets. We will be setting new standards for the industry through innovation and technology that create value for market participants. On the SME front, we are continuing with our commitment to drive the JSE SME Rise initiative, our comprehensive development solution designed to fuel growth in the sector. The programme offers a range of initiatives, including growth solutions, funding readiness, international expansion and capital access.

This year, the JSE has joined forces with the United Kingdom (UK) government’s UK-South Africa Tech Hub to deliver services for the JSE Enterprise Acceleration Programme, an arm of our SME Rise initiative. This collaborative venture aims to support high-potential, tech-focused and tech-enabled medium-sized companies in scaling up their businesses, attracting investment and expanding into new markets. In February we launched the Claim It initiative, a collaborative effort between the JSE and some of the largest companies listed on the JSE to return unclaimed dividends to their rightful owners.

This campaign addresses a challenge brought to light by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s (FSCA), research indicating that there’s nearly R88.56 billion in unclaimed assets across the financial sector, with R4.5bn in unclaimed dividends. Since the start of the campaign in March, we have received nearly 60 000 applications with over 7 000 already successfully matched to unclaimed dividends — and more matches are being made every day as applications continue to be processed.

We encourage South Africans to visit the Claim It portal to verify whether they are owed unclaimed dividends. People can visit the portal on www.jse.co.za/claimit and complete the online form or contact the JSE Claim It call centre on 0861 401 105 to find out if they are entitled to unclaimed dividends. Moreover, we will be hosting our annual women-focused investment and empowerment initiative, the JSE #SheInvests on 23 August at the Sandton Convention Centre. The event was initiated to create a holistic approach to make the investment landscape accessible for women. It was born out of a need to further women’s economic empowerment and broaden financial literacy.

In essence, the JSE’s mission remains unwavering — to be a world-class, African stock exchange that connects investors to growth, and businesses to capital. We are guided by our commitment to driving a diversified, innovative and inclusive marketplace that fosters resilience and shared prosperity.

As we look forward, I’m reminded that leadership in today’s financial world is no longer defined solely by returns or rankings—but by relevance, resilience and responsibility. The global spotlight will shine on South Africa this November as we host the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in Africa. Not only is this event symbolic for the continent, but it also represents a strategic opportunity to elevate Africa’s voice on the global stage and showcase our continent’s readiness to lead in shaping the global agenda.

At the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, we are continuing to reimagine the role of capital markets as engines of inclusive and sustainable growth. Whether through green and social bonds, expanding access for emerging issuers, or building frameworks that fund clean energy, education, and affordable housing, our focus remains clear: to move capital with purpose.

From a fiscal perspective, the 2025 National Budget reaffirmed government’s commitment to long-term economic transformation, placing infrastructure and productivity growth at the heart of its strategy. These priorities not only boost investor confidence but also reinforce our role in enabling South Africa’s economic future.

The months ahead will demand agility and ambition. But they will also require empathy, collaboration and a long-term view. Like summiting a mountain, progress is not about reaching the top alone; it’s about creating a path others can follow.

That’s why we are investing in people, mentoring the next generation and reshaping the narrative of what leadership in finance looks like.

As we navigate the rest of 2025, I invite you to ask not just how we perform, but why we lead. Because when purpose drives performance, the impact endures far beyond the bottom line.