August 19, 2020

Half a million investors use EasyEquities

Congratulations to our friends at EasyEquities, who this week signed up their 500 000th user! To put this into perspective, at the end of 2014 there were fewer than 2 000 people registered on the low-cost investment platform.

“While we have a long way to go – and things aren’t always perfect – we have saved users hundreds of millions of fees,” says CN&CO’s Carel Nolte, who also serves as EasyEquities’ chief marketing officer. “We have started a revolution and built a brand that is known throughout South Africa.

“And there are 500 more magnificent milestones I could mention!”

Some interesting “dodgy maths” in this tweet by EasyEquities VP Tristan Finnemore:

Since its launch six years ago, EasyEquities has revolutionised the way South Africans buy shares.

“EasyEquities has democratised the stock exchange, making it possible for all South Africans to invest in shares and exchange traded funds for as little as R5,” says Carel. “And with our expansion in the US and Australia, we are now able to easily invest in two of the most valuable stock markets in the world – over and above our own JSE.

“We’re also proud of the fact that 40% of our investors are female, which goes to show that we’re helping women to become more financially independent.”

The CN&CO team goes a long way back with EasyEquities. Carel has been involved right from the start in 2014, with Kurt, Josh, Rob, Colin, Rikus and Llewellyn all having had a bit (or a lot!) of influence on the brand during its rise to where it is today.

“I actually met Llewellyn for the first time at the EasyEquities first birthday party, when Rikus introduced us,” says Carel.  

Many people in the CN&CO network are big fans of the investment platform and count themselves among the 500 000 users. Michele Katz, our partner on the recruitment side of CN&CO, has a small portfolio that she runs together with her 12-year-old nephew, Aston.

“Every month I put in a few rand and Aston decides which stocks to pick,” she says. “So far we’re doing really well! EasyEquities has really proven to be extremely educational for both of us.”

There are many more investment stories like Michele’s – more than half a million, in fact! Each investor’s journey is unique. (You can read more about Colin’s journey here.)

“There is no right or wrong way to invest,” says Carel. “All you need to do is start!”

If you would like to sign up as a new user, click here.