Matsapha- As more young emaSwati are being encouraged to enter financial markets and build wealth through investment, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) has warned that the country’s push for greater participation must be matched by stronger investor awareness to prevent people from losing their money to fraudulent schemes.
The warning was delivered at the FSRA Capital Market Roundtable Indaba at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) on Wednesday, where financial-sector stakeholders engaged fourth-year commerce and business studies students on investment opportunities, financial literacy and the risks associated with uninformed financial decisions.
Representing the FSRA Chief Executive Officer, General Manager of Market Conduct Zama Dlamini urged prospective investors to establish the legitimacy of an investment opportunity before committing their money, stressing the need to “verify before investing”.
The intervention comes at a time when young people are increasingly being exposed to investment opportunities, making the ability to distinguish legitimate financial products from potentially fraudulent schemes an increasingly important part of wealth creation.
Rather than treating investment solely as a route to higher returns, the FSRA used the engagement to emphasise that wealth creation also requires investors to understand the risks attached to where they put their money. Investors were encouraged to look beyond attractive promises and establish the credibility of an opportunity before making a financial commitment.
The message is particularly significant as efforts to deepen participation in Eswatini’s capital markets seek to bring a new generation of investors into the financial system. The roundtable exposed students to investment opportunities available through the Eswatini Stock Exchange and brought together representatives from the stock exchange, StanLib Eswatini, ENACTUS and AlphSZ Eswatini.
UNESWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Justice M. Thwala urged students to use engagements with financial-sector professionals to strengthen their understanding of investment and develop financial habits that could support their financial futures beyond university.
Echoeing the Vice- Chancellor’s sentiments, Dr Julius Warren Kule, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, said the engagement was intended to bridge the gap between academic learning and practical participation in the financial sector. He described capital markets as important drivers of economic expansion, employment and national growth, while encouraging students to embrace saving, investment and wealth creation rather than focusing exclusively on immediate consumption.
The roundtable formed part of the 10th edition of World Investor Week 2026, held under the theme “nvest in Your Future. Protect It Today.” The initiative brought together university leadership, financial-sector stakeholders and students with the aim of strengthening financial literacy and promoting responsible investment.
For the financial sector, the challenge is therefore not only to expand access to investment opportunities, but also to ensure that new investors have sufficient knowledge to assess those opportunities. The FSRA’s message placed investor protection alongside wealth creation, warning that uninformed decisions can expose individuals to risks even as capital markets offer opportunities for economic participation.
The engagement ultimately sought to prepare young emaSwati to participate more responsibly in the financial system, with financial literacy positioned as a necessary foundation for turning investment opportunities into sustainable personal wealth rather than financial losses.
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