Astravest Frequently Asked Questions
Astravest FAQS
General
· What is Astravest?
Astravest gives users access to investments in commodities, fixed income, real estate and the information they need to trade. Users can trade themselves or invest in managed services or fixed income. If you don’t know how to trade, you can use the expert managed trading and gain return on investment with experts.
· Why should I Use Astravest?
Astravest is for users who want:
Stable investment opportunities with less volatility
Low risk investment opportunities
To grow their money in a safe and stable asset class
To hedge against inflation
Simple platform to buy trade and manage investment across different sectors
· Why Commodities, Fixed income and real estate only
We know there are other investment opportunities, but for now we have offered the ones that investors will lose their total money. We will add other opportunities as we grow and when we can manage the process for you. Other trading and investment options have higher risks and some promise better returns, but we have given you where you will not lose money at all. Although investing is risky and you can lose money, but on Astravest, the risk is lower because we only have investments you can see the physical products.
The commodities are backed by physical commodities in secured warehouses across Nigeria and managed by professionals. The commodities are raw materials to industries, beverage companies, flour mills which are used to produce food all year round. So, you cannot lose as long as these companies are producing and people are eating.
Our fixed income opportunities are risk-free instruments offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) and a few low-risk investment opportunities such as corporate bonds, managed trading and high-quality commercial papers.
Our real estate investments are vetted properties, built by reputable developers and insured.
Security and Safety
Is my information secured?
Astravest was built with security in mind at all levels of interaction. Customer data is encrypted and securely stored. We do not store your card information as we work with a PCIDSS-compliant payment processor to handle all our customers’ card details. The PCIDSS is a standard guide, globally, that all reputable payment processors must adhere to.
Regulatory Compliance?
Astravest is a digital sub-broker and has partnered with Prominent Securities Limited and SEC licensed broker to comply with all relevant laws in Nigeria.
Is my money safe?
Your money is safe. Astravest works with partners who have been vetted and regulated. Your money with them is backed by strong balance sheets of over $140M in assets and strong liquidity. You cannot lose money on Astravest
Commodities
1. What commodities does Astravest allow
Astravest gives opportunity to invest in physical commodities like paddy rice, maize, soya bean, sorghum, cocoa and ginger which can be seen in managed warehouses. The commodities are backed by physical commodities in secured warehouses across Nigeria and managed by professionals. The commodities are raw materials to industries, beverage companies, flour mills which are used to produce food all year round. So, you cannot lose as long as these companies are producing and people are eating.
What are the types of commodities?
We have food-based commodities that are harvested from farms and stores in warehouse for onward processing to the final users.
We also have export commodities like coco, ginger which are exported. Some are farmed in dry season and other in wet season. These also contribute to food security. If you are investing in commodities on Astravest, you are indirectly empowering a farmer somewhere to continue farming and thus feeding mankind.
How can I invest or trade in commodities?
You can invest in commodities on Astravest, but first you need to sign up, do some checks, verify your account and fund your wallet. You can trade with the funds in your wallet.
When can I buy and sell commodities?
You need to understand the markets, the seasons and prices. Best time to buy commodities is during the harvest seasons. The sell time depends on the prices and season. You can sell anytime you want.
When I buy commodities how long does it take to get fulfilled?
Once you buy commodities on Astravest, we take your instruction and pass to the commodities exchange as an order where it will buy the product. If the machine finds a seller that is willing to sell at that price and quantity, the order get fulfilled by matching the buy instruction with a sell offer. This process takes from a few minutes to seven days. The order remains open till it finds a willing seller within the timeframe. Orders are usually matched within seven days. If after seven days the order is not fulfilled, that order will be cancelled and the money returned to your wallet.
Can I cancel my order if it is not matched?
Yes, you can cancel your order if it is not matched with a seller. When you cancel, the money will be returned back to your wallet.
How much returns on investment can I Get from trading commodities?
The returns on investments are determined by the market prices which is in turn determined by many factors including time, harvest, demands, supply and more. But commodities return decent ROI and better the stocks.
Fixed Income
What is fixed income?
Fixed income products are low risk asset classes that have predictable and fixed return on investment. They include treasury bills and government backed securities which are risk free. Others are low-risk investment opportunities such as corporate bonds, fixed income from managed commodities, fixed income from expert managed trades and high-quality commercial papers.
What is the rate of returns on fixed income?
The return on investment varies depending on the product, the managers, the economic outlook and price movements. We have put together a bucket of instruments to offer you variety of options to choose from.
Is fixed income better than trading?
No fixed income is not better that trading, people choose fixed income for low risk and the opportunity to have experts manage their funds.
How does my earnings grow?
When you invest in fixed income products, your investments grow by everyday as the annualized return moved towards maturity. In terms of the expert managed fixed income, your earnings grow as the funds they have invested your money grows.
Can I liquidate anytime?
Most fixed income products have agreed time of maturity. Once you have invested in the fund, you will have to wait for the product to mature. Once the period of the maturity is reached, your wallet will be automatically credited with the capital and profits.
Real Estate
What is real estate investment?
These are building projects for residential and commercial purposes. Some are built for renting and some are sold out rightly after development. Our real state offerings are buildings from reputable and vetted developers with agreed building durations, agreed prices and managed expectations. The buildings are usually in urban areas where there is a fast-moving real sector and the properties are in high demand.
How does the investment work?
On Astravest, people collectively put money together to execute a building project. They become co-owners of the structure according to the amount they have contributed. For example, if it costs N50 million to develop a building, this sum can be broken down to 2,500 units investment blocks of N20, 000 each. As a user, you can buy as many units as you want. Your ownership will be the number of units you subscribed to. If you decide to buy 500 units, you will own 25% of that property. If the property is sold, the return on investment will be shared according to the number of people who invested and the units they contributed. If it is a rental income, your return will be the proportionate to your owned/subscribed units in the total units of that property.
Who are the developers of the properties?
We have put together a great list of real estate projects and the names of the developers in each product. As an investor, you can also go and verify these projects and monitor their progress. Each developer is bound by the rules of this contract to build the property according to specifications and deliver within a set period of time.
How long is the return on investment in real estate?
It takes between 18–24 months to build and sell a property. The value of the properties increases once they are completed. They are often sold within 6 months or more. The return on investments grows as the value of the property increases.
Fees
What are transfer charges?
We work with payment processors, and they charge a fee for accepting and processing your payments. Processing fee is usually 1.5% of the transaction amount of N200 if you are doing direct bank deposit. Transfer fees are charged on deposits and withdrawal, and they go to the payment processing company and not Astravest.
What is transaction charges?
We charge between 1%-2% as transaction fee depending on the asset you are investing and the amount you are investing. These are regulated fees and they enable us provide the service to you. We have no other hidden charges apart from the one we have declared
Withdrawals
When can I withdraw my money?
You can withdraw the money in your wallet anytime you want. However, for money that has been invested in trading, you need to sell your investment before you can make the withdrawal. For fixed income, you can withdraw on their maturity dates.
How do I withdraw?
To withdraw your money, go to your wallet and click the withdraw button, enter the amount you want to withdraw and select the bank account you want to withdraw to. The funds will hit your account in a short time usually within a day. Before attempting withdrawal, please ensure you have added a bank account to your profile. Withdrawal will be made to your registered bank account.