Increasingly women are showing an appetite for investing in stock market related products such as Exchange Traded Funds and Shares. This is according to FNB data, which has shown a fivefold growth in share investments by female investors over the last 8 years.

Aneesa Razack, CEO of Share Investing at FNB, says “In 2008 FNB introduced a suite of share investment products aimed at encouraging South Africans to invest in shares online. For as little as R300 anyone can open a share account and invest in some of the biggest companies listed on the stock exchange.”

“While we have seen a steady increase in the number of investors across the board, we have also noted an upsurge in female investors. This is a good sign considering that when we introduced shares through the FNB Online platform there was a small percentage of female investors.”

The youngest group of female investors falls within the 21 – 25 age group, and while this group is by no means the biggest, it’s encouraging to see that young people are starting to invest in shares much earlier.

The general misconception is that share investing is for the wealthy; however this is not true because anyone can invest in shares as long as they are willing to stay in it for the long-term.

With FNB Share Investing investors have the added benefit of investing in Krugerrands via the online platform or the FNB Banking App.

“Investing in shares has become a lot more accessible because it can be done online, which makes the process cost effective,” adds Razack.