FAQ
ALTX
WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, WHY WE DO IT
ALTX is a platform that allows individuals, groups and institutions to invest directly in securities to grow their wealth.
A securities exchange is a marketplace that brings together investors who act as the buyers and issuers who are the sellers. The product being bought and sold is a security
Step 1: Open an account
- Visit this link: Open my account
- You will need a photo of your ID, and your bank or mobile money details (settlement details) which are used to pay out your earnings to you.
Step 2: Fund your Account
- Send in the funds you wish to invest. You can send any amount from UGX 10,000 to begin. You can use Mobile Money (*223#, option 6 ALTX) or bank (see funding my account).
Step 3: Pick an investment
- Check out the current offers page to view the available offers.
- Pick the bond or ETF of your choice. You can then place the order on our online platform uTrade or mobile app.
- You can also email info@altxafrica.com for assistance on how to place an order.
- ALTX allows a minimum investment of 100 units which is a value of approximately UGX 10,000.
- Therefore, you can begin investing with just UGX 10,000.
- uTrade is the market on desktop – use it to check prices, buy and sell
ALTX Mobi is the market on mobile – use it to check prices buy and sell
MyALTX – is your account statement – use it review your investments.
Securities
- A security is a financial product that has value and can be bought and sold. The most common types are stocks, which represent part ownership in a company, and bonds which represent the debt of a government or company.
- Securities are used to grow wealth. For example, if you own stocks you can benefit when the company pays its shareholders a dividend (a part of their profit). Or if you own a bond, you can benefit from the interest the government or company periodically pays on the debt.
- Like any investment, different securities offer different levels of risk. For example, the government bonds available on ALTX are considered low-risk or nil risk which means it is highly unlikely for your funds to be lost. This is because governments generally do not default on their debts.
Bonds
- Bonds are usually issued by governments, companies and large organizations in order to raise funds for their activities.
- Bonds are similar to a loan where investors offer the institution the funds they need, and the institution offers the investor set interest payments for every year the investor loans them money.
- When the term of the loan is over, the institution returns the funds they borrowed (the investors initial capital) to them at face value.
- Bonds are a debt security.
- Government bonds are considered one of the safest investments because governments generally do not default on their debts.
- When you invest in a bond, it begins to earn interest every day. This interest is then paid out to you in two instalments every year, which are six months apart. For example, if the bond is to pay you 15% interest in your first year. The interest will accrue daily and you will receive one payment worth approximately 7.5% and six months later, another payment of 7.5% making the total for the year 15%.
When a bond is issued (offered for sale), the institution will state how much each unit is worth. This is a fixed amount meaning it will not change. It is the amount that any investor holding the units will be paid back at maturity.
In Uganda each unit of a bond is issued with a Face Value of UGX 100. In Kenya it is KES 100.
Price refers to the amount you will pay on the market to acquire each unit of a bond. It is determined by the activity on the market, interest rates etc.
The market price can be above par (or above the Face Value of UGX 100) in which case it is selling at a premium, or below par (below UGX 100 Face Value) when it is said to be selling at a discount.
Symbols are the name of a security. These help differentiate the different bonds and ETF’s you are investing in. They also offer information on the security.
For example, with a bond UGB12251950 tells you:
- UGB – Type of Bond -Uganda Government Bond
- 12 – Month of Maturity – December
- 25 – Year of Maturity – 2025
- 1950 – Coupon Rate – 19.5000% (the rate the bond was issued with, it is not the interest you will be paid after buying on the market)
Bonds are issued with certain fixed characteristics such as the coupon rate and tenor (length of time before maturity). This allows for the calculation of an estimate of the investors return if they hold the bond to maturity (they do not sell it before maturity). This is known as the Yield to Maturity (YTM). This figure is not fixed but changes everyday based on factors like the length of time to maturity.
ALTX shares the Yield to Maturity with investors before they invest, as a estimate of the return at the time, in order to help them select the best option for themselves.
Opening an Account
GETTING STARTED
- Individuals can open ALTX accounts with our simple online form found here: insertlink. It only requires a few details about you and a photo of your ID.
- People who would like to operate a joint account or corporations can also access the account registration form online. It can be downloaded, filled in and supporting documents attached then returned to ALTX via email. The joint account forms can be downloaded here: insertlink and the corporate accounts forms here: insertlink.
- Individuals must be over 18 years old, and have a valid form of ID. You will also need to have a mobile money or bank account.
- Corporations must be legally registered entities.
- Joint accounts must be held by at least one individual over 18 years old.
Once your application is submitted it will be reviewed, if all the required information is included and deemed satisfactory, the account will be approved within 48 hours. If we find missing information or require further explanation, our team will be in touch within 24 hours to request this from you and your account will be approved once all our criteria are satisfied.
In order for the picture of your ID to be uploaded onto our system, it must meet certain criteria:
- It must be below 900KB
- It must be a picture in png or jpeg format.
- Individuals can select Direct Market Access (DMA). This means you will have an un-brokered account and can use our self-service access points (online and mobile) to place your own orders, or manage your account.
- Companies should select one of our licensed brokers (BIKU) to provide the additional account management support you may need.
- ALTX works with several licensed brokers to provide investors with the You are free to select any of the brokers. You can learn more about each here:
- You will need to include payment details as part of your application. There are two options on ALTX:
- Ugandan Bank Account: you can use a bank account registered with any bank operating in Uganda.
- Mobile Money: you can choose to receive your payments via your mobile money wallet on any network across Uganda.
The online application is only one page long and ends with a ‘submit’ button. Once you have clicked this button, you will be taken to a secondary page acknowledging your application has been sent and providing you with some preliminary account information. A copy of the application will also be sent to the email you provided as an attachment.
If you have clicked the submit button at the end of the application and you are not taken to a new page with the preliminary account details, you may be experiencing a browser issue. Kindly clear your cache, reload the browser and fill in the form again.
Alternatively, use a different browser (e.g instead of Chrome, you may use Firefox). If you are still unable to submit the form, kindly send an email to info@altxafrica.com and let us know the error you are experiencing.
- Once your account is approved, you will receive an email with activation instructions.
- The email is titled ‘UID account creation’. If you do not see it in your inbox after 48 hours, kindly search your spam, promotions and social folders. If you still do not find it, email info@altxafrica.com for assistance.
Fund transfers
SEND IN MONEY FOR INVESTMENT
You can fund your account using:
Mobile Money (from any network):
1.Dial *223#
2. Select Option 6. ALTX
3. Input your full Investor PIN
Or
MTN MOMO Pay
1. Dial *165*3#
2. Enter Merchant code: 735648
3. Enter Amount
3. Enter Mobile Money PIN
4. Send a screenshot of the transaction confirmation message to info@altxafrica.com
Or
Bank Transfer (MOBI accounts only)
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
Account Name: ALTX MOBI
Account Number: 0109286453205
Branch: Head Office
Include your Investor PIN as the reference
Brokered accounts should email their brokers directly to confirm their bank details.
After successfully transferring your funds, email info@altxafrica.com with the details (amount, investor PIN). This ensures your account is funded in the fastest time possible.
- Once you have completed a fund transfer, send an email to info@altxafrica.com with the details. We will confirm receipt and ensure your funds are available to trade.
How do I make money from equities?
Utrade
uTrade is our secure online platform that gives you a live view of the market. Use uTrade to place orders and check on the prices of the securities you are interested in. How do I add securities to my market watch
If it is your first time you will need to activate your uTrade account to gain access.
- Search your inbox (including spam and promotions folders) for an email titled UID account creation.
- Use the first 10 digits of your investor PIN (e.g. 000000XXXX) and password included in the email to sign in to uTrade here for the first time: uTrade
- Create a new password and sign in.
Your account is now activated.
If you have activated your account, you can sign in with the first ten digits of your investor PIN (e.g. 000000XXXX) here: uTrade
If you have forgotten your password, click the ‘forgot your password?’ link to reset it.
If you have locked your password, please send an email to info@altxafrica.com and we will assist you to unlock it.
ALTX MOBI
The ALTX Mobi app is your mobile gateway to the market. View prices, place orders and check on the value of your holdings all on the go.
Only registered ALTX users can sign in to the app.
Use the first 10 digits of your Investor PIN (for example: 0000009999) and the password you set.
You only have three chances to get the password right. After this, your account will be locked. If this happens please email info@altxafrica.com for assistance.
Please note, for security purposes, you will have to reset your ALTX MOBI password every 14 days, or the next time you log in after that period. Please keep note of your changing passwords to avoid locking the account.
You can follow these steps if you forgot your ALTX Mobi password:
- Tap the ‘forgot password’ button on the app
- Enter the first 10 digits of your investor PIN (e.g. 0000009999)
- Enter the email you used to pen you ALTX account.
- Search your email inbox (including spam, promotions and social folders) for the reset email.
- Use the one-time password to sign in to the app
- Create a new password
- Sign in
Visit the play store and search for ALTX Mobi.
MyALTX
GETTING STARTED
MYALTX is an online account statement that allows you to view your investments at any time of day or night. You can check out the details of your past transactions, interest payments and even get an estimated market value for your investments. Keep an eye on your account by signing in at least once a month whether you have a broker or not.
MyALTX is accessible to all ALTX investors, brokered and un-brokered (DMA) via this link: https://myaltx.altxafrica.com/user/login?ReturnUrl=%2F
If you have just opened your account, or you have never signed in before, you can activate the account here:
https://myaltx.altxafrica.com/user/activate
- Enter your full Investor PIN (e.g. 000000XXXXMOBIL800)
- Enter the email you registered the account with
- Create a password and click register
- Search your email inbox for the activation email (including the spam, promotions and social folders) and follow the instructions to complete the process.
- If you successfully submitted the activate account form, please carefully search through your email inbox. Don’t forget to check spam, promotions and social folders. You may also use the search bar to look for ‘MyALTX’.
- If you do not see this email after a thorough search, please send us an email at info@altxafrica.com
My ALTX allows you to review everything happening with your account. It will show you:
- Your holdings – your investments and what they are worth.
- Transactions – a record of every time you have bought and sold a security.
- Corporate Actions – any interest you have earned.
Holdings is another way of saying ‘my investments’. This section of MyALTX shows you each of the securities you have invested in and the estimate of what each is worth.
Here is what the table shows:
- Security – A list of every individual security your account holds (owns). Each security has a unique name which is a mix of letters and numbers known as symbols. For example you will see something like UGB12251950 or UGB01241400.
- Face Value – The amount that the total number of units you own is worth to the issuer of the bond. Face Value is a fixed amount, meaning it won’t change (for example Ugandan Bonds have a Face Value of UGX 100 per unit). It is the amount that will be paid back to you at maturity.
- Last Traded Price (LTP) – The last known price paid for the security on the market. ALTX is a market place (meaning anyone can buy and sell at any time) and people buy and sell securities everyday so the LTP changes every day. This is a guide to provide you with an idea of the activity around the security you hold.
- Estimated Value – The estimated amount you would receive if all the units you own were sold on the market at the last known price. This is the market price, meaning what someone on the ALTX market is willing to pay you for your units, which is different from the Face Value (what BOU is willing to pay you). As an analogy, you can think of it like the difference between a retail price (market price) and a wholesale price (Face Value). It is provided as a guide, not a guarantee of the value.
A transaction is a successful trade (buy or sell) made by your account. To invest on ALTX you have to buy units or shares in a security. To get your funds back, you have to sell the security.
The Transactions table is a record of these trades which shows you:
- Transaction ID –the unique identifier for the transaction. This can be used to trace the transaction at any time.
- Date – the day and time the transaction was made.
- Security – the unique name (symbol) of the security bought or sold. For example you will see something like UGB12251950 or UGB01241400.
- Units – Bonds are traded on ALTX in the form of units. So you buy and sell units of a bond. This figure tells you how many total units were bought or sold in that transaction.
- Price – The amount you paid to buy each unit, or the amount you were paid for each unit when selling. This is the market price.
- Face Value – The fixed amount that the total number of units is worth to the issuer. It is different from the market value (price).
Corporate actions are a record of any payment your investments on ALTX have earned. If you own bonds, this will show you any interest payments you have earned. You can see the following in the Corporate Actions table:
- Date – the date the payment was effected.
- Security – the particular bond or investment that earned the payment.
- Bank Details – the settlement details registered to your ALTX account and where any pay outs you request will be sent.
- Amount – the total paid out (before fees and charges).
- Action – the type of payment.
Interest payments
Uganda government bonds pay out interest in two instalments per year. Therefore, you will receive payments every six months for each bond you own.
- ALTX informs all investors by email when they have received an interest payment. Keep an eye on your inbox to get the latest updates.
- You can also regularly log in to your MyALTX account and check the Corporate Actions section. This is updated in real time every time you receive an interest payment. It will show the payment date and how much was earned.
On ALTX you can choose to either:
- Reinvest your interest – have the funds placed back into the same bond, or the highest yielding available bond. You will get more frequent interest payments/bigger interest payments over time. In this way you are taking advantage of compounding (meaning your money is working for you) in order to keep growing your investments.
- Pay out your interest – have the funds paid directly to you. Your initial capital remains invested in the bond and will keep earning interest payments, while you use the earnings for other needs. This works for people who would like regular payments, for instance during retirement, and do not need to grow their initial investment by much.
You can decide which you prefer at the time of each interest payment (within 3 business days). Or you can set up a standing order with us for either option (reinvest, pay out), meaning it is automatically done on your behalf with no further instruction form you.
Fees
- Account Maintenance Fees
The ALTX account maintenance fee is$6 a year (or between UGX 21,000 – 24,000 a year, dependent on exchange rates)
It is a fixed fee.
All accounts on ALTX are charged this fee in order to support the systems that give you access to the market. This fee accrues daily at a rate of approximately UGX 60-61 per day. The fee is only paid when you transact (make a buy or sell order).
2. Transaction fee
This is a fixed fee of UGX 185.81 per transaction
Charged for both buy and sell transactions. It is fixed no matter the total cost of the transaction
3. A Buy side or sell side charge that is a percentage of the total cost of the transaction.
It is a fixed percentage paid per order (buy or sell)Direct Market Access (un-brokered- MOBI) clients currently pay 1.5%
Fees are collected before you trade (account fees) or as part of the trade (transaction). You do not have to take any additional steps to pay the fees, simply fund your account and place your order.
Accounts
If you have forgotten your password, you can reset the password directly on the specific ALTX platform you want to access. Simply look for the reset password link on the login page and you will be redirected to fill in your details, and request a new password.
MyALTX
Please visit the site and reset it here:
RESET MYALTX PASSWORD
- Input your full investor PIN and the email you used to open your account.
- Click reset then check your email (including spam and promotions folders) for the reset email.
Please note: you will have to have activated your account and accessed MyALTX before doing this.
If you have forgotten your Investor PIN, kindly search your email inbox for your original account confirmation email or your application email, it will include the Investor PIN.
Please send an email to info@altxafrica.com with your Investor PIN and we will unlock the account.
- ALTX has two primary platforms that you will need to access via a password: Utrade/ALTX Mobi and MyALTX.
- Utrade and ALTX Mobi give you access to the market to place orders. These are two different means to access the trading system on desktop and mobile respectively. Therefore they share the same password. For security reasons, this password has to be reset every 14 days. The system will automatically request you to do this the next time you sign in after the 14 day period has elapsed.
- MyALTX on the other hand is an online account statement and has its own unique password. Please keep note of this password as it should be different from your uTrade/Mobi password.
Investing
Currently ALTX allows you to purchase the following
- Uganda Government Debt – bonds issued by the government of Uganda. These are issued for periods between 2 and 20 years and payout interest every 6 months.
- Kenya Government Debt – bonds issued by the government of Kenya. These are issued for periods between 2 and 20 years and payout interest every 6 months.
- Uganda Treasury ETF
ALTX is a marketplace so if you ever need to access your funds, you can simply log on and sell your investments. There are no penalties or conditions.
General Questions
ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW
A ‘unit’ represents one of part of ownership in a bond on ALTX. The smallest number of units you can buy or sell is 100.
Contact
HOW TO REACH US
You can reach ALTX via email: info@altxafrica.com or social media @altxeastafrica
The ALTX office is located on Plot 1 Mackenzie Close, Kololo, Kampala, Uganda.