Ndovu FAQs

Ndovu helps you manage your money through guided investing (we are a roboadvisor)and by providing financial education. We are fiduciary, which means we act in your best interest.

We’ll ask a bit about you when you sign up. Then, we’ll help you create financial goals and set you up with personalised investment portfolios.

For your short to long-term financial needs (ranging from emergencies, retirement, holidays, kids’ education or down payment on an asset), our investment strategy is built on low-cost ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) and a risk profile based on how long you plan to invest.

An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is a basket of securities that make it easier to invest in a large number of companies with little risk and maximum reward.

An ETF can track an index, a commodity or a basket of assets—just like an index fund—but trades like a stock on an exchange.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are popular with investors because they offer access to a ready-made investment portfolio run by experts. You can invest from as little as $50 and get instant access to a diversified portfolio for a much lower cost than purchasing the individual investments yourself.

The minimum amount of money needed to gain access to a portfolio on the Ndovu platform is Kshs 5,050, that’s it.

There are NO monthly or quarterly contribution requirements. We, however, encourage you to invest regularly to build up significant value in your portfolio.

You can buy funds online through the Ndovu website or the Android/iOS apps.

Please ensure to read the funds’ Key Features which are available from the individual fund factsheets on the website.

Once you are registered for online access, simply log in and select a new investment. Then choose your investing approach, goal-based investing or general investing. Follow the instructions and click the ‘Invest Now’ button.

Search for your chosen fund and continue to the confirmation page.

All trades will be placed on a best execution basis.

Best execution is a legal mandate that requires investment services firms to provide the most advantageous order execution for their customers given the prevailing market environment.

There are over 8,500 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the world. The Ndovu investment committee has curated a select number of ETFs based on liquidity, diversification, management fees and future prospects.

Simply log in to your portfolio. Then choose from goal-based investing or general investing.

Then select the fund you wish to sell and click ‘withdraw’.

You will receive an email confirmation once your withdrawal order is finalized.

Please note once you click withdraw, the full investment amount held in that particular fund will be sold. You can’t sell part of your investment.

No. Ndovu doesn’t charge a withdrawal fee at the moment. We, however, reserve the right to levy appropriate charges should the need arise.

Ndovu clients enjoy full liquidity. This means that clients can withdraw their funds whenever* they would like. There is no lock-up period.

*Processing time is 3 business days in line with industry standards.

Yes. Please email ‘support@ndovu.co’ with your request. Upon verification, your request will be handled subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act, the Capital Markets Act and the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In compliance with the laid down international standards on the Prevention of Money Laundering, the amount that you withdraw will be paid back to its original source i.e., if you invested via mobile money, the proceeds will be paid back to the same mobile money account.

In addition, the withdrawal will be paid back in the original investment currency i.e., if you invested in Kenyan Shillings, the refund will be in Kenyan Shillings.

As the goal portfolio is made up of different currencies, the proceeds from the sale of the USD fund will be paid separately from the proceeds from the sale of local currency funds.

Yes. An accidental investment/withdrawal order can be reversed within 5 minutes. Please email ‘support@ndovu.co’ should you require trade cancellations.

All trade instructions & payments received by 12 noon (EAT) are placed on the same day.*

All trade instructions & payments received after 12 noon (EAT) will be placed on the following day.*

*Where the following day is not a weekend or public holiday in the US or Kenya. Please note that all trade instructions are placed on a best execution basis.

Pending

Your trade has been received by Ndovu. Your purchase will remain pending until your sale has been confirmed by the fund manager.

Dealt, awaiting confirmation

Your order has been dealt with. The fund manager can take up to five days to confirm the details of your completed deal, although in most cases it takes less than 24 hours.

Completed

When we receive confirmation of your deal your account summary and transaction history will be updated and we will send an email confirmation.

The vast majority of funds price each working day at 1800 Eastern Standard Time. When you place an order, it will be traded at the next available valuation point. This means that you will know the exact price after you place the deal.

Timing fund deals to intra-day movements in the markets are notoriously difficult due to their forward pricing nature. One way to smooth entry points and benefit from dollar-cost averaging is to set up a regular investing instruction, whereby you automatically invest a set amount of a particular fund (or funds) each month.

Please remember that your long-term investment objectives should always take priority over any short-term fluctuations in price.

Once your order has been submitted, the order will be dealt with by the fund manager at the next available valuation point. Most funds will value daily at 1800 Eastern Standard Time, but please note this can vary from fund to fund.

Please see the fund factsheet for more information. Once dealt, your order status will update to ‘Dealt, awaiting confirmation. At this point, the order has been dealt with and the price fixed, although the fund manager may take up to five days to confirm the details of your completed deal. Your account will only be updated once confirmation has been received. When we receive confirmation of your deal your account summary and transaction history will be updated and you can access the details from your online account.

Access to the Ndovu platform requires the use of a steady internet connection. At times, clients may be located in places with poor connectivity. This may create challenges in order placement.

Should you experience this problem, immediately email ‘support@ndovu.co’.

While ETFs are traded on daily basis, some funds (e.g., the money market funds) are not traded. Thus, the valuation may appear to be stagnant. Please reach out to ‘support@ndovu.co’ to request an emailed statement of such a fund.

Your peace of mind is our highest priority. We're committed to protecting your account with the highest standards of security available.

• Regulation - Ndovu adheres to high standards of compliance and business conduct in each country of operation.

• Writing on blockchain - Ndovu’s core is built on blockchain allowing us to accurately record all your transactions.

• Military-level Security - We use secure servers and privacy verified by physical security. We adhere to industry standards and have strict internal policies to ensure the highest level of safety.

• Everything is encrypted - We use state-of-the-art data encryption when handling your financial information and two-factor authentication (2FA) protection.

Ndovu works with regulated banks in Kenya (licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya) and the United States (licensed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – OCC ). We execute our trades via a major broker-dealer licensed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

1. Your Bank/Mobile money account – You can easily transfer from your bank/mobile money account to your Ndovu account. 

2. Your money is held in a segregated account (a financial account where your money is kept safely in a trusted bank, separate from our company’s finances).

Ndovu optimises your portfolio by instructing our broker to buy and sell securities on your behalf.

4. Your Assets – The securities in your portfolios are kept entirely separate from the bank’s assets.
5. Your Money – Your money is kept entirely separate from Ndovu’s finances and is held in a regulated bank.

Here at Ndovu, we help make the most of your money, and our experts have put together tailor-made portfolios so that you don’t have to.

If you are an amateur investor and you need some help, we select the investments on your behalf through these tailor-made portfolios.

If you are an expert investor, you will be able to buy stocks in specific companies or industries through Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).

Securities available on Ndovu are as follows:

• Government Bonds

• Unit Trusts

• Equity ETFs

• Bond ETFs

• Commodity ETFs

Ndovu currently operates in Kenya and for regulatory reasons, cannot accept U.S. citizens. We, however, welcome other nationalities, subject to the provision of acceptable Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation. Here is a breakdown of the nationalities we accept - List of Eligible Countries

Unfortunately, no. As per the law, we have to verify the identity of each client before investing their funds.

Any client who deposits funds but doesn’t provide their identification documents will have their cash refunded.

At the moment, we do not offer accounts for minors. All customers must be at least 18 years of age to consent to all our agreements.

The financial planning sessions are immensely popular and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. At times, this may entail you joining a wait list until a calendar slot opens up. We are a quality-centred service and thus request for your patience as we go through the booking schedule.

Yes. As the Premium Plan is designed for investment minimums of USD 1K, any client with a balance below this will be entitled to only one financial planning session, upon onboarding. Future sessions will only be accessed by meeting the threshold.

Ndovu’s offers personalised financial advice, access to low-cost, globally diversified portfolios, dividend reinvestment, and financial education. We have two subscription plans:

The basic plan charges 1% per year (the lowest in the industry) with a Kshs 5,050 ($50) minimum investment amount.

The Premium Plan charges 0.75% per year and it provides access to a human expert financial advisor and bespoke insights. Minimum investment $1000.

This subscription fee covers the advice you receive, the transactions, trades, and all other account administration.

For further information, please click here.

Ndovu fee is deducted prior to your money being invested into ETFs. Our fees are clearly stated here

Open an account and get $5 of free stock

We will add $5 into an exchange-traded fund (ETF) when you fund your account with $50. You are required to hold the $5 in your investment portfolio for a minimum of 12 months and can only withdraw it afterwards.

No, each person can only own one Ndovu account.

The ETF allocation is at the discretion of the investment committee.

This offer is only valid for selected individuals who have not started / completed their Ndovu application, signed up on the waitlist, individuals who have an approved account with zero activity (no trades places, deposited funds etc), and individuals without a Ndovu account, who fulfil the conditions in our promotion. Individuals must sign up through our waitlist promotional page to be eligible.

Ndovu reserves the right to change the offer terms or terminate the offer at any time without notice. The offer is limited to one per account, with no more than one account enrolled per customer. The $5 bonus, when combined with the value received from all other offers in the current calendar year, may not exceed $100 per person unless expressly stated in writing from hi@ndovu.co.

The offer is not transferable, saleable, or valid in conjunction with certain other Ndovu offers. Employees, contractors, or persons similarly associated with Ndovu or a Ndovu affiliate; members of their household; and employees of any securities regulatory organization or exchange are not eligible.

Ndovu may decline requests to enrol in the offer at its discretion. Other restrictions may apply. The $5 bonus exchange-traded fund (ETF) is selected randomly, when the bonus criteria are met, by our investment management committee. We’ll add $5 into an ETF when you deposit $50 into your Ndovu account and fulfil the conditions in your promotion. You are required to hold the $5 or more in your investment portfolio for a minimum of 12 months (365 calendar days) and can withdraw it thereafter if you have funded your account with a minimum of an additional $50. For any inactive account for the first 4 months (120 calendar days) since joining the platform, the company has the right to recall the rewards unless stated otherwise in writing from hi@ndovu.co.

Each referral made under your account must invest a minimum of $100 in the first 12 months for you to get your $5 investment.

We offer access to investment tools and education to help you make investment decisions, but this information is for informational and educational purposes only.

Consult with your tax advisor about the appropriate tax treatment for this offer and any tax implications associated with receipt of a $5 fund bonus before enrolling. Ndovu does not take responsibility for any tax-related to this $5 fund bonus.

Our mission is to empower people to create wealth so they can live secure and rewarding lives. Ndovu is built on 4 pillars.

1. Do what is right for the customer - simply put, your goals are our goals. Every decision is centred around our customers’ needs & convenience

2. Keep it simple - we strive to keep our solution simple. Life is complicated enough as it is. Your finances shouldn’t be.

3. Trust through transparency. It is empowering to know how we manage your investments & what fees you’re being charged.

4. We are creative - we challenge the status quo to bring better, smarter solutions to you.