Franc
“Can a low-cost, behaviour-driven investing app become the default financial OS for everyday and self-employed South Africans?”
Founded2018
HQSandton, Gauteng, South Africa
FoundersDr Thomas Brennan, Sebastian Patel
Latest roundAccelerator/Incubator
IndustryFintech / Investment
The story
Founded in 2018 as a simple mobile investing platform to democratise access to unit trust funds for everyday South Africans. Over time Franc expanded beyond pure investing into savings accounts (interest-bearing), Tax-Free Savings Accounts, Retirement Annuities, and Bitcoin. In 2025 it launched the Hustle Account, targeting freelancers and sole proprietors with basic accounting/expense-tracking — a meaningful pivot toward becoming a broader financial OS for the self-employed.
Product timeline
2018
Franc Group (Pty) Ltd incorporated in South Africa as a digital investing platform targeting first-time retail investors.· pivot
2022
Franc publicly articulates its 'digital wealth coach' positioning and expands fund selection (Allan Gray, Satrix, Sygnia).· banking
2023
Franc switches InstantEFT payment provider to Ozow for in-app deposits, dropping previous provider.· banking
2023
Franc adds a Savings Account product offering 5.5% annual interest alongside its investment goals.· banking
2025
Franc launches the 'Hustle Account' — basic money management, income/expense tracking and SARS-friendly reporting for freelancers and sole proprietors.· pivot
Regulated entities
2
regulatory licences held by Franc
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Franc’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
Ozow
Accounting gap: significant