KAMPALA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) — Absa Bank Uganda has launched a new Wealth proposition designed to help customers invest, grow, diversify and preserve their wealth through a single trusted banking relationship.
The launch comes at a time when Uganda’s investment landscape is experiencing significant growth. According to the Capital Markets Authority, assets under management in Collective Investment Schemes have grown to UGX 7.06 trillion, with more than 220,000 funded investor accounts. This represents a significant increase from UGX 731 billion in June 2021, reflecting rising investor participation and growing confidence in professionally managed investment solutions.
Uganda’s pool of long-term savings has grown, supported by an investment ecosystem. The retirement benefits sector now manages assets exceeding UGX 30 trillion in FY2024/25, while the economy grew by 6.4% in FY2025/26 to approximately UGX 250.4 trillion.
As more Ugandans seek opportunities to build long-term financial security, Absa Wealth extends banking beyond everyday transactions, savings and borrowing to provide customers with access to wealth advisory, investment solutions, specialised lending, multi-currency banking, and local and global investment opportunities.
Speaking at the launch, Absa Bank Uganda Managing Director David Wandera said the proposition responds to both the growth of Uganda’s investment market and the changing financial ambitions of customers.
“As Uganda’s economy grows and more wealth is created, the conversation must increasingly move beyond how we save to how we invest, diversify and preserve that wealth. We already support our customers to transact, save, borrow and grow their businesses. Absa Wealth allows us to extend that relationship further by helping them put their money to work and make more deliberate investment decisions for the future.”
A key differentiator of the proposition is the combination of Absa’s local market expertise with the capabilities of Absa Group, one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups with a presence across multiple markets on the continent.
Through this broader network and investment capability, eligible Absa Wealth customers will have access to investment opportunities beyond the Ugandan market, including international markets such as Mauritius, investments in US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), and British Pound (GBP), and the offering provides access to a diversified range of global investment solutions, including foreign currency bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and structured deposits..
This provides customers with opportunities to diversify their investments across multiple asset classes, currencies and markets while managing their broader financial needs through a single relationship.
“Wealth management is not about a single product or investment. It starts with understanding a customer’s goals and developing a tailored strategy to them achieve them. “Our proposition allows us to look at a customer’s banking, liquidity, financing and investment needs more holistically and, through Absa’s broader African and international capabilities, support them as those needs become more sophisticated” Wandera said.
The proposition caters for customers at different stages of their investment journey.
Through Absa Invest Plus, customers can begin investing from as little as UGX 10,000 or USD equivalent. The professionally managed solution, offered through Absa and managed by Sanlam, provides access to low-risk investment funds in both UGX and USD investing primarily in government securities and other interest-bearing investments.
Customers can also invest in Government Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds through Absa, while those customers with more advanced wealth management requirements can access a broader suite of wealth solutions including wealth advisory, multi-currency banking, specialised lending and local and international investment opportunities.
The launch comes amid growing participation in Uganda’s capital markets. Beyond the UGX 7.06 trillion currently held in Collective Investment Schemes, the Capital Markets Authority reports that more than UGX 23.4 trillion has been mobilised through the country’s capital markets, demonstrating their increasing role in supporting long-term domestic savings and investment capital.
The event brought together representatives from the Capital Markets Authority and Bank of Uganda, alongside fund managers and investment industry stakeholders including Cornerstone, Sanlam Allianz, Prudential and Old Mutual.
Speaking at the event, Capital Markets Authority Chief Executive Officer, Josephine Okui Ossiya, said: “The growth in investor participation reflects increasing confidence in Uganda’s regulated capital markets. As the regulator, our priority is to ensure that this growth is sustained and extended to a wider segment of the population within a framework that safeguards investors and preserves market integrity. This requires investment products that are appropriately structured, transparently disclosed and suited to the needs and risk profiles of different investors, supported by continuous investor education and effective investor protection measures. Licensed financial institutions have a responsibility to uphold these standards as they connect more Ugandans to regulated investment opportunities and contribute to a stronger culture of long-term investing.”
Through the new Absa wealth proposition, the bank aims to empower more Ugandans to progress from simply accumulating savings and take more deliberate approach to investing, wealth creation and long-term financial security.
