“We’ve only just begun”: EasyEquities CEO Charles Savage on explosive growth, global ambitions

In a high-energy update with Alec Hogg, Purple Group CEO Charles Savage shares the inside track on EasyEquities’ record-breaking momentum—highlighting a 25% revenue surge, booming customer growth, and strategic expansion across crypto, ETFs, mortgages, and more. With over 1 million active users and operating leverage delivering 70c profit on every R1 of revenue, Savage says the South African success story is just the beginning: “We’ve built a world-class business—now we’re thinking globally.” Fractional investing, customer trust, and smart use of AI are at the core of a fintech juggernaut that’s reshaping retail investing for the long haul.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.BizNews Reporter.In a time of global market uncertainty and low investor confidence, EasyEquities is defying the odds—and the narrative. While many South African companies tread cautiously, the Purple Group’s flagship platform continues to blaze a trail. In an in-depth interview with BizNews founder Alec Hogg, CEO Charles Savage unpacks the strategy, momentum, and vision behind EasyEquities’ exceptional six-month financial results and why the company’s best days may still lie ahead..Scaling, strategy, and momentum“We’re way beyond our tipping point,” Savage declared, referring to EasyEquities’ surge in active users, revenue, and profitability. The recently released results for the six months to end-February mark the best the business has ever produced, with over 1 million active users and 2 million registered clients.“Our client acquisition rate was 13% in the last six months,” Savage noted, adding that EasyEquities now attracts over 1,000 new users daily—a stark contrast to the company’s early days, when it acquired just 10,000 users in its first year.Profit rocket: 70% of revenue drives growth or profitOne of the standout metrics from the results was EasyEquities’ operating leverage. For every R100 in revenue, R17 drops directly to the bottom line—while another R53 is reinvested in growth. “That’s our biggest strategic advantage,” Savage explained. “It gives us an ability to grow much faster and more profitably than anyone trying to enter this space today.”The platform’s powerful position is also reshaping its market valuation. “Before this reporting period, our PE ratio was around 50. Now, it’s halved to 20,” he said.From brokerage to full-stack financial servicesWhat started as an online stockbroker has grown into a diversified financial services platform offering everything from crypto and ETFs, to mortgages, life insurance, and soon, retirement planning. The expansion has been deliberate and customer-led.“We ask, ‘What other financial needs can we solve for our clients?’” said Savage. “Because they trust us with their capital, introducing new products like EasyCrypto, EasyProtect Life, or EasyMortgages becomes frictionless and incredibly cost-effective.”The company is also betting big on ETFs, believing they will replace traditional unit trusts in the long run. Their new ETF arm is already among the top three in the country by assets.The birth of fractional investing—and why it’s the secret saucePerhaps EasyEquities’ most revolutionary feature is fractional investing—allowing anyone to buy a portion of a share with as little as R1. Savage credits this innovation with unlocking the mass retail market and insists it’s foundational to the company’s success.“If you took fractional shares out of our business, the model collapses,” he stated. “It’s the one non-negotiable. Thank God we listened to our customers.”Taking on the world—But keeping one eye on homeWhile EasyEquities has global ambitions, Savage is clear: South Africa remains the core focus. “There’s 10x the opportunity still to unlock here. 80% of the success we’ll achieve in the next decade will come from the customers we already have,” he said.That said, the company hasn’t lost sight of its international aspirations. It has secured a license to operate in Kenya, continues to engage regulators in the Philippines, and plans to leverage its world-class capabilities in underserved markets abroad.“We’ve built a world-class business at a very low cost in a very small market. International remains part of the mission—I’m 100% accountable for delivering that.”AI and the future of retail investingSavage sees AI as a game-changer for retail investors, leveling the playing field with institutional pros. “Access to information was the differentiator in the past. Now, AI gives retail investors superpowers. I use it every day—to interpret results, guide strategy, and even give advice.”He predicts that AI will accelerate financial literacy, better investing decisions, and ultimately deepen customer engagement across platforms like EasyEquities.What’s next: Credit, subscriptions, advisorsThe next six months will focus on scaling new verticals such as EasyCredit (borrow against your investment portfolio) and EasyProtect Life (affordable, investor-centric life cover). The platform also plans to launch:EasyRetire Retail: Partnering with financial advisors to provide retirement solutions.EasySubscriptions: A value-added tiered service (inspired by Robinhood Gold) that allows users to pay a monthly fee in exchange for premium benefits.Against the grain—and winningDespite South Africa’s grim macroeconomic narrative, EasyEquities is writing its own story. “We didn’t believe the dialogue that said South Africans wouldn’t invest,” said Savage. “And now, 91 million rand came into the platform in a single day last week during market turmoil—retail investors are no longer running for the hills. They’re buying the dip.”It’s a vivid example of how data-led insight, relentless customer focus, and a clear strategic vision can override conventional wisdom—and, as Savage puts it, “change the financial DNA of a country.”Final word from Charles Savage:“My only regret is that the full impact of what we’re building will only be felt 100 years from now. But when South Africa has millions of Buffets running around, someone will ask, ‘How did this happen?’ And hopefully the answer will be—because EasyEquities made it their mission to make it happen.”.Read also:Peter Navarro – Why Trump’s tariff plan will fix the broken system of international tradeFT: Investors struggle to adapt as Trump’s policies keep changingPurple Group CEO Charles Savage foresees a bright future after transformative interims

“We’ve only just begun”: EasyEquities CEO Charles Savage on explosive growth, global ambitions

Related Stories

Joburg audit setback exposes R9.5bn bad debt burden

Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers: We had to burn billions to save the company

Hague Group boss Gandikota-Nellutla exposes her anti-Israel agenda: Kenneth Kgwadi

Ruchir Sharma: How America's retail investors came to rule Wall Street