Nairobi, April 11 -- Financial markets are shifting again. From the end of May, shares traded in some of the biggest markets - the United States, Canada and Mexico - will be settled in just one business day, compared with two days after trades are initiated.

This shift to the practice known as T+1 is set to improve market efficiency, reduce risk in markets, increase trading volumes and cut the need for collateral to back trades.

Notably, some markets such as India and China have been trading the T+1 settlement cycle for years. In fact, India is already setting up for a same-day market settlement before the end of this year. T+0 would ensure trades are settled immediately.

At the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), trades are settled at ...