The potential of the South African legal cannabis and hemp economy is whetting the appetite of a new breed of younger investor. That’s according to Silverleaf Investments CEO Darryl Weisz, who says that technology has also dramatically changed the investment landscape, making it easier for first timers to invest what they can afford to – instead of having to have a capital sum at their disposal.

Weisz told Cannabiz Africa on 10 August 2022 that Silverleaf was extending its IPO through the Easy Equities mobile app platform until the end of the month because of an unscheduled late start, but also due to the high level of interest in the market.

“We’re in uncharted, but exciting territory” says Weisz. “What is certain is that we have a new sunrise industry backed by Government who are in favour of the commercial trade in cannabis and related products. That’s a given. What is uncertain is exactly what that regulatory environment is going to look like and the timeframe in which it will unfold. So it’s a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’, and we’re giving people a chance to get in on the ground floor of the cannabis economy, by curating the right investment opportunities ahead of the curve”.

“Despite all the market uncertainty, we believe its nevertheless a really good time to invest early in the South African cannabis industry. We sense that the Government understands the necessity to open the cannabis value chain which in turn will create new jobs through cultivation & processing as well as export opportunities in this new industry.  Silverleaf has taken the leap ahead of other financial institutions in seeking to understand the landscape and invest behind promising businesses who have the potential to establish themselves in both local and international markets and reward investors for backing their plans”.

“We’re also seeing the impact of technology on investment, with concepts like fractionalization gaining momentum. This concept is being used across the globe and is helping people without access to large sums of capital to start investing. Investment opportunities through platforms like Easy Equities are encouraging younger people to start investing in stocks without the restrictions of working through intermediaries. The results of our IPO to date have been quite amazing – it’s showing us that when you put tech, cannabis and millennials together, you get a whole new class of investors in the making. It’s really exciting is to see the appetite for investment amongst younger people, as well as what they want to invest in. For them sustainability has become a core pillar for profitability, in other words they’re looking for long-term security rather than short-term profit. This has seen a shift in thinking in that the ‘green’ economy and ethical investing are seen as essentials on the balance sheet as opposed to being mere compliance costs”.

Weisz said that the Silverleaf IPO on Easy Equities had already attracted over 2 000 individual sign-ups in a matter of weeks and hoped to double that by the end of the month. “Easy Equities’ provides a great platform for young aspiring investors to take a stake in an exciting new economic category – and any other investment for that matter. The average age of their clients is 33 years old and they’ve significantly lowered the barriers to entry into investment in general. It’s become so accessible that you can invest as little as R1.00 to start and build up your portfolio as and when you can”.