19 Oct 2022

Meet Thndr, a digital investment platform democratising investing in the Middle East and Africa

Thndr is a digital investment platform democratising investing in the Middle East and Africa.

  • Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt
  • Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
  • Industry: Wealthtech
  • Thndr website

Launched in late 2020, Thndr is a digital investment platform that is transforming the traditionally outdated, slow, and non-user-friendly process of opening and managing investment accounts across the Middle East and Africa.

Compared to the US and Europe, MENA countries are significantly underserved when it comes to investment platforms, and equity market participation in the region is between 0.5-2.0% compared with approximately 50% participation in the US.

Thndr is making it easy to invest in stocks, bonds, and funds in the region through its mobile-based and low-commission digital stock brokerage. With a focus on financial literacy, Thndr equips investors with the knowledge to make self-directed investment decisions and prides itself on being an agent of change in the investment sector, democratising investing for everybody in the region.

More on Thndr:

  • The forefront of a massive trend likely to experience widespread consumer adoption: Platforms like Thndr are creating investors out of members of the population who previously had limited equity market exposure. In fact, 87% of Thndr’s user base are first-time investors and 40% of users come from rural areas. Similar platforms in the US, Europe and Southeast Asia are proving extremely popular but, compared to other developed regions, the opportunity in MENA for equity brokerage is more complex for an international player to capture given the regional fragmentation, cultural nuances, and regulatory framework.
  • A product with clear consumer value that focuses on improving financial literacy: Compared to the US and Europe, MENA countries are significantly underserved when it comes to investment platforms, and current investor penetration is less than 3% across the region. The market is lacking a low cost, easy to use platform for investing and saving and Thndr is filling this gap. Thndr’s app aims to demystify stock ownership and trading. Its product allows users to buy and sell stocks without paying commission, which can be expensive when using legacy incumbent brokers. For users who are not financially literate, Thndr is educating them with simulators, articles, videos, webinars, podcasts and daily newsletters.

We believe the company’s mission is part of a transformative era for fintech in the region, enabling a larger and younger population of individuals to access equity capital markets, with significant economic upside.

The press release for the full investment can be found here.