Is EasyEquities on its way to the JSE Top 40?

At CN&CO we love it when our friends and partners succeed. The latest EasyEquities stats are a case in point.

With CN&CO founder Carel Nolte part of the charge on the marketing front as chief enablement officer, the team has achieved some truly standout results. Purple Group’s numbers speak volumes: more than 1.1 million funded clients, over R80 billion in client assets, and record-breaking deposits through the year. This isn’t just cyclical trading hype – it’s sustained, high-intent behaviour from a growing investor base.

As Carly Esterhuizen, EasyEquities’ Marketing Officer (and as Carel says, one of the great marketing brains in financial services) puts it: “The growth in engagement tells us our message is landing. Our clients are here for the long run – and that’s what really excites us.”

Robinhood parallels

When Robinhood was added to the S&P 500, many saw it as validation of a once-controversial trading app maturing into a financial powerhouse. EasyEquities is on a similar path. From EasyProperties’ 50+ IPOs and the launch of EasyMortgages, to EasyCredit, EasyProtect, EasyRetire and RISE, the platform has grown into a multi-asset ecosystem that goes well beyond trading.

Partnerships with the likes of Capitec (200 000+ funded clients), Discovery Bank (3 000 new accounts in August alone), and Satrix (over R18.5 billion in retail NAV) are helping EasyEquities connect with millions across South Africa and even further afield through initiatives like GCash in Asia.

Engagement that tells the story

Behind the numbers lies a powerful engagement story – and one which will be shared fully when results are lreasled mid November. Website traffic and blog views have almost doubled year-on-year – so hundreds of thousands of views in an environment where the Financial Mail has shut its doors. Email opens are often up to 80%. With 46% of 18–24 year olds and 61% of 25–34 year olds reading multiple emails, it’s clear that even in the age of 8 second attention spans and social media content culture, the Easy community is still hungry for long form insights and education to help inform their investment decisions and build their portfolios. 

“This balanced dynamic points to a brand that knows how to meet people where they are,” says Carly. “And it’s not just volume – it’s quality! When we sign up a new client, we know it’s usually the start of a long and fruitful relationship. Investors with higher value accounts are more likely to open emails and visit the website, so you’ve got this constant upskilling and applied learning from consuming content and applying the takeaways to your portfolio. It’s why education is baked in to the Thrive loyalty program – it’s a key investing tool. And the behaviour proves it.”

The road ahead

CEO Charles Savage summed it up best: “Eleven years ago, we took the counter-position — make investing easier and everyone will invest. FY25 proves it again, with more clients pitching up than ever before, bringing more capital with them, and compounding their wealth by an average of 28% a year for over a decade.”

With momentum like this, it’s not hard to imagine EasyEquities one day making it into the JSE Top 40 – just as Robinhood broke into the S&P 500. 

For now, we simply say: well done, team Easy. You’re not just changing the way South Africans invest – you’re shaping the future of wealth itself!