Platinum Groupe Shows its Mettle by Growing In-line with its Clients

Zimbabwean investment banking firm Platinum Groupe specialises in creating relevant solutions that meet the needs of institutional, corporate and individual clients.

The group operates through its licensed business units: Platinum Investment Managers, Platinum Securities, Platinum Financial Solutions and Platinum Microfinance.

The Platinum Groupe brand emerged in 2010 from the restructuring and consolidation of separate business units. The streamlined operations have earned it an enviable reputation for integrity, consistency and performance over the past 10 years. “We value strong client relationships and consistent service delivery to our clients,” says chairman Exodus Makumbe.

Platinum Securities, operating since 1999, is a registered member of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, licensed by the Securities Commission of Zimbabwe in terms of the Securities Act.

Platinum Securities offers an efficient platform for investors to execute trades in stocks listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, as well as in fixed income securities such as corporate bonds and Treasury bills and bonds. Platinum Securities has developed a reputation of executing major transactions in the Zimbabwean market.

Platinum Investment Managers (PIM) dates back to April 2010, when fund and wealth management company MBCA Capital Management (Private) Ltd rebranded as Platinum Investment Managers (Private) Ltd. The company had been founded in 1999, as the asset management division of MBCA Holdings Zimbabwe (a subsidiary of Nedbank SA). It is registered in terms of the Asset Management Act and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe.

For the past 22 years, PIM has stayed in the top 10 in Zimbabwe in terms of Funds Under Management. It has striven to remain in the first quartile in terms of long-term investment performance — in line with its long-term view of the investment markets.

“This has been achieved on the back of a solid foundation of investment expertise, professionalism and trust,” says Makumbe, “generated from reliability and transparency of investment processes and strategies and the assurance of safety on client funds.”
The Funds under Management for PIM have grown from US$4.5million in 2010 to US$100 million in 2020 while market share for the same period has risen from around 0.25% in 2010 to 6% in 2020.

PIM offers investment services to private, corporate, pension fund and unit trust clients supported by the overriding principle: clients take the lead in setting objectives for PIM to meet.

The group has strengthened its position in investment banking by anchoring its business on corporate and financial advisory services. Platinum Financial Solutions (PFS), formed in 2007, has provided these services over the years.

PFS understands that business needs are diverse, and adds innovation and customisation to generic products to serve capital raising, private placements, business valuations, M&A, joint ventures, takeovers (management buyouts and leveraged buyouts), due diligence and tax compliance and administration.

Platinum Microfinance (PMF) is a licensed institution in Zimbabwe. It started out in 2019 to consolidate financial services with lending activities and to leverage on various group opportunities. It is regulated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. PMF provides a tailored range of lending services to clients — even those who may not have access to mainstream commercial banking.

Its product offering has grown to include salary-based loans, civil servant loans, SME lending, invoice discounting, micro-housing loans, agriculture loans and more.

“My team will build on this momentum to do even better and break new barriers. Platinum Groupe, as an integrated Investment Banking outfit, will have its fair share of contribution when the recovery story of Zimbabwe is written’’, says Makumbe.