Collective investment schemes (unit trusts) let an investor own a professionally-managed, diversified basket priced at a daily net asset value (NAV). Tanzania’s iTrust family spans the risk ladder — from a money-market fund to a growth fund. The headline returns are real; the important work is understanding what each fund actually holds.
A money-market fund — short-dated, high-quality instruments for liquidity and capital preservation. ~5% return; the lowest-risk rung. Use: cash management and dry powder.
A fixed-income fund — government and corporate debt for a steady yield (~5.7%) with monthly payouts. Moderate risk. Use: income and a lower-volatility complement to equities.
A balanced/growth fund — the standout performer, +103.9% since its Dec-2024 launch (NAV ~138 at end-2025; ~TZS 90bn AUM). Higher risk — and the composition deserves a close look (below).
iGrowth is presented as a diversified balanced fund. Before sizing it that way, it is worth understanding what actually drives its returns. A careful reading of public disclosures suggests the fund’s performance — and much of its risk — is concentrated in a single equity position rather than spread across a broad basket. The exposure an investor takes on is more specific than the “balanced fund” label implies.
The implication: iGrowth is best understood as a concentrated position with stabilisers, not a broadly diversified vehicle — not a criticism of its strong returns, but a statement about the risk actually being taken. Size it for the exposure it carries, and check each fact sheet for the current composition. Our full quantified look-through — the exact holding, the weight, and the method behind both — is reserved for subscribers, in the brief below.
Units price once daily at NAV. iTrust switches between iIncome and iGrowth carry no exit fee; a 1% exit fee applies to payouts or moves to iCash. Processing takes ~3 working days, so a round-trip costs roughly 0.3–0.5% plus foregone carry in transit — cheap, but not free, and once-daily pricing matters for a fund whose largest holding gaps on news.
The backdrop genuinely favours bank equities: system credit is compounding ~23.6% year-on-year against ~6% GDP growth, non-performing loans near 2.9%, and positive real policy rates — with no inflation emergency forcing the Bank of Tanzania to tighten. The sector thesis is sound; the question for an iGrowth investor is concentration, not direction.
Choosing among them: iCash for liquidity, iIncome for yield and lower volatility, iGrowth for equity upside — sized for the concentration it actually carries. A blend across the three is how the risk ladder is meant to be used.