Investment One, a financial services firm recently launched Ziing a personal finance app.
Nairametrics was one of the guests invited to the exclusive launch and had a brief chat with Nicholas Nyamali Investment One’s Group Managing Director.
How long has the idea behind this been in development?
Nyamali stated that while the app had been in works for the last one year, the company had framed the concept in the last 10 years.
You can look at it in two ways. Longer view is 10 years ago when Investment One started. We were trying to solve a problem:
- Help people manage their investments
- Help people achieve their investment goals
So, conceptually, this is a 10-year journey we’ve been on. But as a digital product, in the last one year, we wanted to provide an app which, from your fingertips, enables you to take complete control of your finances.
Is this a play to reach out to younger investors?
While the app will help the firm reach a younger audience, it is also targeted at customers looking for convinience.
Yes that is right, with a technology platform we are trying to reach younger people, but it’s also for those who we won’t categorize as young but want convenience.
If today I want to buy shares in a company, I can call a broker, who takes my order, then goes to the floor of the stock exchange to buy the shares for me.Alternatively, with the app, I can trade directly on the floor of the exchange with no intervention from a broker.
He continues
With the Ziing app on your phone and at your fingertips, you can buy and sell shares on the floor of the stock exchange, you can buy treasury bills, you can invest in mutual funds, you can redeem your investment in mutual funds, you can invest in fixed deposit, all at your fingertips on your phone.
Do you have any concerns about workers being replaced by Technology?
In his view, increased adoption of technology means professionals in the finance space would have to upgrade their skills.
So the question is about the jobs for tomorrow. We’ve asked ourselves that question but you see, two things are at play here: I think artificial intelligence and technology at large will impact jobs. But, I also believe that it will force the rest of us to upgrade our skillset and what we do.
He then gave an example of how technology had changed the banking space.
Look at banking as an example. Nobody does bulk cash counting anymore. With the payment systems functions available on the phones and ATMs, cash in circulation is being reduced. This means those who count cash will be forced to find employment elsewhere. This app suggests the job of brokers and Advisors is on the line, but if they develop themselves, they can be participants in the new work environment of the future where technology will be the mainstay
In the pipeline
In conclusion, Nyamali also stated the firm would add more features to the app before the end of the year.
You can look out for improvements and new additions on the Ziing app. Also at the end of this year or early next year, look out for us to take the app beyond the shores of Nigeria as we try to engage international investors
Founded in 2008, Investment One is licensed by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Nigerian Pensions Commission (PENCOM) to provide a buffet of financial products and services.
The company was formerly known as GTB Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Bank, before Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reforms in the financial sector led to GTB divesting its ownership in 2012.
In 2010, the CBN mandated that Commercial banks divest their non-banking subsidiaries or form a holding company.
