Prescient Securities – the stockbroker arm of financial management and investment company Prescient – has become one of the first agency-only stockbrokers to trade for clients on challenger stock exchange A2X, the company said on Wednesday.

The company provides institutional investors, hedge funds, and pension funds with services across the South African financial market, including securities trading expertise, research, and execution-only access to global equity markets with a larger presence across Africa.

The Cape Town-based investment firm joins the likes of Investec Markets, Noah Capital Markets, Standard Bank’s SBG Securities and others who facilitate stock trading and related services on behalf of their clients on the platform, which boasts a market cap of R9.3 trillion.

A2X debuted in 2017 and has managed to list nearly 170 companies on its platform, including JSE heavyweights across all sectors.

CEO Chris Craddock said coming onto the A2X platform on an agency basis removes any potential conflicts of interest while providing additional coverage for its clients.

“We pride ourselves on creating the certainty that we are a safe pair of hands and a partner of choice for clients needing to access all the financial markets in South Africa,” he added.

The company earlier this year received recognition for its top-rated coverage of the Diversified Industrials and Forestry and Paper sectors in the 2023 Financial Mail Ranking the Analyst Awards.

It was previously also ranked among the top three stockbrokers for administration efficiency across asset classes and other sectors.

“These rankings are significant in that we are an independent South African stockbroker competing against the biggest local and global investment banks,” Craddock said.

“We punch well above our weight as evidenced regularly in the local industry surveys and strive to provide a level of consistency of service that creates confidence for our clients.”