Question 1

What is NSE Academy?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy is a personalized investor education platform built specifically for Kenyan investors who want to participate in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). We help you discover your investor type through a profiling quiz, then give you a tailored learning path, stock recommendations, and tools — all designed around how you invest, not a generic template.

Question 2

Who is NSE Academy for?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy is for anyone interested in investing on the Nairobi Securities Exchange — whether you are a complete beginner who has never bought a share, an intermediate investor wanting to deepen your knowledge, or an experienced investor looking for a structured framework and research tools. We have content and tools for all levels.

Question 3

Is NSE Academy officially affiliated with the Nairobi Securities Exchange?

Accepted Answer

No. NSE Academy is an independent investor education platform built by Infinity Digital Works. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) or the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). All content is educational and for informational purposes only.

Question 4

How is NSE Academy different from the official NSE Academy at academy.nse.co.ke?

Accepted Answer

The official NSE Academy (academy.nse.co.ke) is primarily a paper trading simulator. Our platform goes further: we profile your investor type, give you personalised learning paths matched to your risk tolerance and goals, provide a company research tool showing which stocks fit your specific profile, and publish ongoing market analysis and roundups. Think of us as your NSE investing coach, not just a simulator.

Question 5

Is my personal and financial data safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We do not store any of your actual bank or brokerage account details. Your quiz responses and investor profile are stored securely in our database. Payments are processed entirely by Paystack — a PCI-DSS compliant payment processor — and we never see your card details. We do not sell your data to third parties.

Question 6

What is the Investor Profiler quiz?

Accepted Answer

The Investor Profiler is a 10-question quiz that determines your investor type based on your risk tolerance, investment time horizon, capital range, goals, and reaction to market volatility. It takes about 3–5 minutes to complete and is available free to all registered users.

Question 7

What are the investor types and what do they mean?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy identifies five investor types:

• Conservative — You prioritise capital preservation above all else. Low-risk, dividend-paying stocks and bonds suit you best. You cannot stomach large losses.

• Moderate — You want a balance between growth and income. You accept some volatility in exchange for better long-term returns.

• Aggressive — You are focused on maximum capital appreciation and accept significant short-term swings. Long time horizon, high risk tolerance.

• Dividend Seeker — Your primary goal is passive income through regular dividend payments. You focus on dividend yield, payout ratios, and consistency.

• Growth Investor — You target companies with strong earnings growth potential. Capital appreciation over income. You often invest in emerging sectors and leaders.

Question 8

Can I retake the profiler quiz?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can retake the investor profiler as many times as you like from your Dashboard. Your most recent result will be used to update your stock recommendations and course learning path. Investor profiles naturally evolve as your financial situation and goals change.

Question 9

How does my investor type affect what I see on the platform?

Accepted Answer

Your investor type drives three things: (1) your personalised course learning path — conservative investors see bond and dividend content first, while aggressive investors are directed toward growth and analysis modules; (2) your stock recommendations on the Stock Advisor page; and (3) your personal fit score in the Company Research tool, which shows how well any specific NSE company matches your profile.

Question 10

What courses are available on NSE Academy?

Accepted Answer

We currently have two full courses:

1. NSE Complete Trading Guide (Intermediary tier) — 7 chapters covering stock trading basics, step-by-step account opening, all 62 NSE-listed companies by sector, licensed stockbrokers, NSE market indices, investment strategies, and top dividend stocks.

2. NSE Complete Investor's Guide (Premium tier) — 13 chapters covering everything from NSE fundamentals to fundamental analysis, technical analysis, taxation, bonds, IPOs, three model portfolios, risk management, and detailed company profiles.

Free users get access to the first 3 modules of the Investor's Guide covering NSE basics and account opening.

Question 11

What chapters are available for free?

Accepted Answer

Free users can access: Introduction (Why Invest in the NSE), Chapter 1 (Understanding Stock Trading Basics), and Chapter 2 (Getting Started — Your Step-by-Step Guide). This gives you a solid foundation before deciding whether to upgrade.

Question 12

How does the learning path work?

Accepted Answer

After completing the Investor Profiler, your dashboard shows a recommended learning path ordered by relevance to your investor type. You can follow this path or explore all available modules freely. The system tracks which lessons you have completed so you can pick up where you left off.

Question 13

Can I download the course content or ebooks?

Accepted Answer

Intermediary subscribers can download the NSE Complete Trading Guide as a PDF. Premium subscribers can download both the NSE Complete Trading Guide and the NSE Complete Investor's Guide as PDFs. Free users cannot download PDFs but can access free lessons online.

Question 14

How often is new content added?

Accepted Answer

Course content is updated periodically to reflect current NSE regulations, market conditions, and company data. Blog articles (news, weekly roundups, market analysis) are published regularly. Subscribe to our RSS feed or newsletter to be notified of new content.

Question 15

Is the NSE Glossary available for free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The full NSE Glossary — covering 200+ Kenyan capital markets terms — is available to all users including free accounts. You can search alphabetically or by keyword from the Glossary page.

Question 16

What are the subscription tiers?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy has three tiers:

Free (KSh 0) — Investor profiler quiz, first 3 course modules, NSE glossary, basic stock profiles. No credit card required.

Intermediary (KSh 100/month) — Everything in Free plus the full NSE Complete Trading Guide course (7 chapters, all 62 companies, brokers, strategies), Trading Guide PDF download.

Premium (KSh 500/month) — Everything in Intermediary plus the full 13-chapter NSE Investor's Guide, personalized stock advisor, company research tool, both ebook PDFs, and priority support.

Question 17

How do I pay? What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

Payments are processed by Paystack, Kenya's leading payment processor. You can pay using M-Pesa, Visa, Mastercard, or bank transfer. All transactions are secure and PCI-DSS compliant. You will be redirected to the Paystack payment page when upgrading.

Question 18

Is this a monthly subscription? Can I cancel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, subscriptions are monthly and you can cancel at any time. Your access continues until the end of your paid period. We do not offer refunds for partial months, but there is no lock-in — cancel with one click from your Account settings.

Question 19

Is there an annual plan?

Accepted Answer

Annual plans are on our roadmap. Currently only monthly subscriptions are available. Sign up for our newsletter or follow the blog to be notified when annual pricing is introduced.

Question 20

Can I upgrade from Intermediary to Premium?

Accepted Answer

Yes. From your Dashboard → Subscription page, you will see an upgrade button to move from Intermediary to Premium for KSh 500/month. Your access upgrades immediately after payment is confirmed.

Question 21

Do you offer student or group discounts?

Accepted Answer

We are working on group pricing for investment clubs and educational institutions. If you run an investment club or SACCO and are interested in a group subscription, contact us at hello@nseacademy.vitaldigitalmedia.net and we will work something out.

Question 22

How does the Stock Advisor work?

Accepted Answer

The Stock Advisor analyses your investor type and risk score, then pulls matching companies from our database of NSE-listed stock profiles. Conservative investors are matched with low-risk, dividend-paying stocks; aggressive and growth investors see higher-risk, high-growth opportunities; dividend seekers see stocks ranked by yield. The top 15 matches are shown on your Stock Advisor page.

Question 23

Are the stock recommendations financial advice?

Accepted Answer

No. Stock recommendations on NSE Academy are for educational and research purposes only. They are generated by an algorithm based on your investor profile and publicly available company data — not by a licensed financial advisor. Always conduct your own research and consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decisions.

Question 24

What is the Company Research Tool?

Accepted Answer

The Company Research Tool (Premium only) lets you search for any NSE-listed company by name or ticker and see a full investor-type fit analysis. It shows: which of the 5 investor types the stock is best suited for (rated Excellent / Good / Neutral / Caution), the reasons behind each rating, and a personal fit score (0–100) based on your own investor profile.

Question 25

How are the fit scores calculated?

Accepted Answer

Fit scores are calculated based on: risk level (low/medium/high), dividend yield, sector stability, and whether the company is tagged as suitable for a given investor type in our database. Scores above 70 are a strong match, 50–70 is a reasonable fit, and below 50 suggests the company may not align well with your investing style.

Question 26

How current is the stock data?

Accepted Answer

Stock profiles (sector, risk level, dividend yield) are updated periodically based on published annual reports and NSE data. Real-time price data is not currently available. For live prices, use your broker's platform or nse.co.ke. We plan to add live price feeds in a future update.

Question 27

How many NSE companies are covered?

Accepted Answer

Our database covers all 62 NSE-listed companies across 11 sectors: Agricultural, Banking, Commercial & Services, Construction & Allied, Energy & Petroleum, Insurance, Investment, Investment Services, Manufacturing & Allied, Telecommunications, and REITs.

Question 28

What calculators are available?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy offers 5 free calculators at /calculators:

• Broker Fee Estimator — See the exact breakdown of NSE transaction costs (brokerage, CDS fee, NSE levy, CMA levy) for any trade value.

• Dividend Yield Calculator — Calculate dividend yield, annual income, and monthly income for any NSE stock.

• Compound Growth Calculator — Project how your NSE investments grow over time with optional monthly contributions and year-by-year milestones.

• DCA Calculator — Model a dollar-cost averaging strategy and compare it to a lump sum investment.

• Dividend Income Target — Calculate exactly how many shares and how much capital you need to reach a target monthly passive income.

Question 29

What are the actual NSE transaction costs when buying shares?

Accepted Answer

When you buy or sell NSE shares, you pay:

• Brokerage commission: approximately 1.5–2.1% (varies by broker)
• CDS fee: 0.12%
• NSE levy: 0.12%
• CMA levy: 0.06%

Total: approximately 1.8–2.4% of the trade value. Use our Broker Fee Estimator for the exact figures on any trade amount.

Question 30

Are the calculator results guaranteed to be accurate?

Accepted Answer

Calculators use standard financial formulas and publicly known NSE fee schedules. Results are estimates for planning purposes only. Actual broker fees may vary slightly — always confirm with your specific broker. Investment returns are hypothetical; past NSE performance does not guarantee future results.

Question 31

What does the NSE Academy blog cover?

Accepted Answer

The blog publishes content across 7 categories: NSE News (breaking market news), Daily Update (daily market snapshot), Weekly Roundup (weekly performance summary), Market Analysis (in-depth sector and stock analysis), Stock Deep Dive (single-company deep dives), IPO Watch (upcoming and recent IPOs), and Investor Education (educational long-reads).

Question 32

Is the blog content free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All blog articles are publicly available — no account or subscription required. We believe an informed investor community benefits everyone. Share any article freely.

Question 33

How do I get notified of new articles?

Accepted Answer

You can subscribe to our RSS feed at /blog/rss.xml and add it to any RSS reader. Email newsletter notifications are on our roadmap — follow the blog for updates.

Question 34

Can I submit a guest article or market analysis?

Accepted Answer

We welcome contributions from experienced NSE investors, analysts, and finance professionals. Email us at hello@nseacademy.vitaldigitalmedia.net with your proposed topic and a brief bio. All submissions are reviewed before publication.

Question 35

How do I create an account?

Accepted Answer

Click 'Get started' on any page and fill in your name, email address, and a password. You will receive a verification email. After verifying, you can log in and take the investor profiler quiz immediately. Registration is free and no credit card is required.

Question 36

I forgot my password. How do I reset it?

Accepted Answer

On the login page, click 'Forgot password' and enter your registered email address. You will receive a reset link valid for 1 hour. If you do not receive it, check your spam folder. If the problem persists, contact support at hello@nseacademy.vitaldigitalmedia.net.

Question 37

Can I change my email address?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Go to Dashboard → Account Settings to update your email address. You will need to verify the new address before the change takes effect.

Question 38

Is there a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. NSE Academy is currently a web application optimised for both desktop and mobile browsers. A native mobile app for Android and iOS is on our product roadmap. In the meantime, you can add the website to your phone's home screen for an app-like experience.

Question 39

What browsers are supported?

Accepted Answer

NSE Academy works on all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. We recommend keeping your browser updated to the latest version for the best experience. Internet Explorer is not supported.

Question 40

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Go to Dashboard → Subscription. You will see a cancel option. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you retain full access until then. Your data and course progress are preserved if you choose to resubscribe.

Question 41

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

To permanently delete your account and all associated data, email hello@nseacademy.vitaldigitalmedia.net from your registered email address with the subject line 'Account Deletion Request'. We will process the request within 7 business days in accordance with data protection regulations.

Question 42

What is the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE)?

Accepted Answer

The Nairobi Securities Exchange is Kenya's principal stock exchange, established in 1954. It lists 62 companies across 11 sectors with a market capitalisation of approximately KSh 2.9 trillion as of early 2026. The NSE is regulated by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and operates Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EAT.

Question 43

How do I start buying shares on the NSE?

Accepted Answer

To buy NSE shares you need to:

1. Get a KRA PIN (free at itax.kra.go.ke)
2. Open a CDS (Central Depository System) account through a licensed stockbroker
3. Register with and fund your broker account
4. Research stocks and place orders through your broker's platform

Our Intermediary course covers this step-by-step. Free users can access Chapters 1–3 which walk through the entire process.

Question 44

How much money do I need to start investing on the NSE?

Accepted Answer

Since August 2025, single-share trading is allowed on the NSE, meaning you can buy as little as one share. Depending on the stock, a single share can cost between KSh 1 and KSh 40+. Practically, brokers recommend starting with at least KSh 5,000–10,000 to keep transaction costs (approximately 2%) proportionate.

Question 45

What is a CDS account and do I need one?

Accepted Answer

A CDS (Central Depository System) account is a mandatory electronic account where your NSE shares are held. It is opened automatically when you register with a stockbroker. Every NSE investor must have a CDS account — shares are not held in paper form. Your CDS account number is unique to you and your shares remain safe even if your broker closes down.

Question 46

How are NSE share prices determined?

Accepted Answer

NSE share prices are determined by supply and demand — the price at which a willing buyer and seller agree to transact. Prices fluctuate throughout the trading day (9:00 AM–3:00 PM EAT). Factors that influence prices include company earnings, dividends, economic news, sector trends, and overall market sentiment.

Question 47

What is the settlement period on the NSE?

Accepted Answer

The NSE operates on a T+3 settlement cycle — trades settle three business days after the transaction date. This means if you buy shares on Monday, the shares appear in your CDS account and payment is debited by Thursday.

Question 48

What taxes do I pay on NSE investments?

Accepted Answer

NSE-related taxes in Kenya:

• Capital Gains Tax (CGT): 15% on profits when you sell shares (introduced in 2023).
• Withholding Tax on Dividends: 5% for Kenyan residents, 10% for non-residents — deducted automatically before dividends are paid to you.
• No wealth tax or annual holding tax on shares.

Our Premium course (Chapter 8) covers NSE taxation in full detail.

Question 49

What is the NSE 20-Share Index?

Accepted Answer

The NSE 20-Share Index tracks the performance of the top 20 blue-chip companies listed on the NSE, selected based on market capitalisation, liquidity, and financial performance. It is the oldest NSE index (base value: 100 in 1964) and is the most widely quoted indicator of large-cap market performance in Kenya.

Frequently Asked Questions

About NSE Academy

Investor Profiler

Courses & Content

Pricing & Subscriptions

Stock Advisor & Research

Calculators

Blog & Newsletter

Account & Technical

NSE Investing Basics

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