- SA FinTech credit surged 38% to $2.9B (R55B), challenging banks’ core market and projected to hit $17.7B (R337B) revenue by 2030.
- Foreign funds, holding most SA bank capital, face new risk: not credit default, but margin erosion as FinTechs capture growth in digital services
- Banks remain robust (19.5% ROE), but valuation contraction shows the market demands innovation to protect future profitability and pensions
The TransUnion Africa FinTech Brief 2025 highlights a significant shift that presents a crucial opportunity for European investors. The report shows that South African FinTechs issued the equivalent of $2.9 billion (R55 billion) in new credit over 12 months, a 38% increase from the previous year. Importantly, it forecasted that the FinTech market will reach $17.7 billion (R337 billion) in revenue by 2030.
For asset managers in London, Amsterdam, or Stockholm, these figures reveal a concerning reality: the primary banking exposure in their emerging-market portfolios—South African established banks—is increasingly being challenged by digital applications that barely existed when many of their initial investment mandates were written.
The competitive landscape of the South African banking system is now defined by fragmented intermediation. The major banks—Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank, FirstRand, and Capitec—maintain remarkable profitability, with a combined Return on Equity (ROE) of 19.5% in 2025, according to PwC. They generated $3.8 billion (R69.7 billion) in total profit for the year, while also investing heavily in technology (R69 billion). However, this performance relies on mature segments: banked individuals, large corporations, and established African markets. Meanwhile, FinTechs are capturing growth in digital payments, instant credit, and solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Nedbank’s $90 million acquisition of iKhokha exemplifies this strategic shift. The 185-year-old group opted to buy its way into the new growth frontier rather than build it internally. With 2.6 million South African small businesses needing to be equipped, the market remains vast. This deal, valued at fifteen times the FinTech’s revenue, reflects a repositioning of the center of gravity for financial value: profits now reside less in deposit volumes and more in technological expertise in customer experience.
This paradigm shift is becoming systemically important because foreign investors now hold the majority of South African banking capital. At Nedbank, nearly 68.5% of the free float is owned by foreign institutions. BlackRock holds 4.73%, Vanguard 3.98%, and Norges Bank 1.14%. The significant Anglo-Saxon and European funds, which once viewed South African stability as an emerging-market haven, are now exposed to a new risk: not credit default, but the gradual erosion of margins and growth potential.
The JSE Bank Index is trading around 63,000 points, down from its 2023 peaks (over 70,000). Valuations have contracted to approximately 1.2 times book value, not due to deteriorating balance sheets, but because the market is reassessing the future profitability of the banking model. The rising prominence of FinTechs may be a concern. Net outflows of foreign capital, estimated at $8.6 billion (R165 billion) since the start of the year, confirm this increased investor caution, as they are attracted to the secure yields of US Treasury bonds (4.4%).
For local institutional shareholders—the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), Allan Gray, and Coronation—the situation is equally concerning. Although they hold strategic influence (PIC owns 16.1% of Nedbank’s capital), their exposure to the same profitability risk as foreign funds is real. Innovation thus becomes a collective imperative: protecting the returns on South African pensions as much as the returns on European portfolios.
South Africa remains equipped with a resilient banking system: a Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio of 18.3%, ample liquidity, and regional diversification. Yet, the battle for the future is no longer about solvency; it is about the ability to capitalize on technological growth. In this new landscape, every dollar of credit extended by a FinTech shifts the center of profitability—and thus risk—further away from traditional banks. The question is no longer whether South African banks are sound, but whether they will be able to remain profitable in a market where innovation is no longer a competitive advantage, but a necessity for financial survival.
Idriss Linge