Pergamon Launches Six New Funds as Kenya’s Booming Unit Trust Market Gains Momentum

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has registered the Pergamon Investment Bank Unit Trust Scheme, adding another investment opportunity for Kenyan investors.

The newly registered Funds include six sub-funds: the Pergamon Money Market Fund (KES), the Pergamon Money Market Fund (USD), the Pergamon Equity Fund, the Pergamon Fixed Income Fund, the Pergamon Balanced Fund, and the Pergamon Special Diversified Income Fund (KES). Each sub-fund has been designed to address different market segments and accommodate various investment risk appetites ranging from conservative to aggressive.

CMA’s move comes at a time when the country is striving to deepen its capital markets. One way through which Kenya can achieve that objective is to develop unit trust schemes, among other regulated investment products. Also referred to as collective investment schemes, unit trusts offer investors an efficient avenue to pool together their savings into professionally managed and regulated portfolios. In recent years, unit trusts have witnessed steady adoption in the country as Kenyans look for ways to grow their wealth through investments other than conventional savings.

According to industry experts, Collective Investment Schemes in Kenya have experienced consistent growth, with many companies registering interest in them. The flexible nature and diversification benefits that are offered by such investments have made them quite popular among both institutional and individual investors looking to manage their liquidity and grow their wealth. Over the past few years, there has been steady growth in the assets under management of CIS in Kenya.

Speaking after the approval of their unit trust scheme, Ms. Wanjiru Gichuru, Chief Executive Officer of Pergamon Investment Bank, said, “Today marks a significant milestone for our investment bank. The registration of our unit trust scheme has taken us one step closer towards realizing our vision of offering innovative, regulated investment options to our clients. It also brings us one step closer towards fulfilling our mandate of contributing to the deepening of our country’s capital markets.”

Pergamon Investment Bank is making strides in enhancing investor participation and savings discipline in Kenya. The development also brings more options to investors who continue to seek new and exciting avenues to grow their wealth. As more companies join the race to deepen the country’s capital markets, the demand for regulated investments will continue to rise.

The market for unit trusts in Kenya has grown tremendously within the last decade as more investors become optimistic about their investments and embrace professionally managed products. By September 2025, the total amount of money under management in the unit trust industry stood at roughly KSh 679.6 billion from KSh 596.3 billion recorded in mid-2025 and nearly ten times higher than the figure of KSh 56.6 billion in 2018.

The industry currently consists of more than 55-unit trust schemes with over 230 funds, with money market funds making up close to 58–60% of the total assets. Retail penetration into the unit trust market has risen tremendously, and currently, about 2–3 million Kenyans are participating in unit trust investments through reduced minimum investment levels and online enrolment processes.

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