The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) plans to launch East Africa’s first artificial intelligence-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF), giving investors access to global AI companies through a product traded on the local exchange. The fund is expected to debut before the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. NSE Chief Executive Frank Mwiti said the exchange wants to create a fund whose underlying portfolio reflects companies with direct exposure to artificial intelligence, with potential reference companies including Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic. Artificial intelligence has become one of the strongest forces driving global financial markets over the past two years, with Anthropic recently reaching a valuation of about $965 billion while OpenAI is preparing for a public listing that could value the company at up to $1 trillion. Until now, investors in East Africa have had few opportunities to participate through their domestic stock market, as the NSE is best known for banking stocks, telecom giant Safaricom and manufacturing companies. Mwiti said the new ETF is intended to close that gap, and a shilling-denominated AI ETF would allow investors to gain exposure to the sector while avoiding some of the foreign exchange costs associated with investing abroad. The proposal reflects changing investor behaviour across Africa, with a younger generation of retail investors showing growing interest in technology, innovation and global investment themes.