South African fintech giant Purple Group, the JSE-listed company behind the immensely popular online trading platform EasyEquities, is defying global market uncertainty by forecasting an unprecedented earnings jump for its 2025 financial year.

The group anticipates a substantial increase in earnings per share and headline earnings per share. These earnings metrics are expected to increase by between 133% and 153%, demonstrating the platform’s sustained “meteoric rise”.

The Numbers Driving the Momentum

The lion’s share of Purple Group’s impressive financial performance comes directly from its Easy Group segment, which houses EasyEquities.

Key facts highlight the scale of the company’s success:

• Earnings Surge: Purple Group expects its earnings per share and headline earnings per share to rise by 4.12 to 4.47 cents.

• Revenue Performance: In the first half of the 2025 financial year, the group’s revenue grew by 25.8% to R238 million, with the Easy Group contributing R216 million.

• Profit Explosion: The Easy Group segment saw its after-tax profit grow by an astounding 238.3% during this period.

• Client Base: EasyEquities now boasts over one million active clients. The platform has increased retail investor participation in South Africa by 400% since its launch in 2014.

• Assets Under Management: Active retail clients grew by 8.2% to 1.02 million, while client assets under management grew by 31.4% to R67.2 billion.

Purple Group CEO and founder, Charles Savage, stated that this growth is not merely a “by-product of favourable conditions, but the outcome of deliberate decisions” to focus on value, reduce friction, and build resilience.

The Secret Sauce: Democratising Investment

EasyEquities was born out of a realisation that the traditional South African stockbroking industry had created a “myth” that investing in the JSE was complicated and required high fees. Savage recounts that the platform was conceived following 15 years of failure and a crucial conversation on a beach in Mozambique where acquaintances overwhelmingly agreed that investing simply needed to be easier.

The platform’s core competitive advantage lies in its “extreme attention to making investing easy for everyone”.

Pioneering Fractional Shares

EasyEquities successfully smashed the affordability barrier by pioneering Fractional Share Rights (FSRs)—a capability that made it the first online trading portal in the world to offer fractional ownership options on listed shares.

This system allows investors to participate in the market with small amounts of money, enabling individuals to buy a fractional stake in large entities like Naspers. FSRs are structured as a contract for difference (CFD), giving the investor a contractual claim to the economic benefits and risks (like price movements and dividends) without needing to own the underlying share directly.

Savage believes that FSRs “serve everyone regardless of their economic background and allow you to start a journey with safe amounts of money”.

Looking Ahead: AI and Global Ambitions

Starting 11 years ago with R2 million in seed capital, EasyEquities has rapidly diversified from a “one-trick pony” offering only South African shares. Today, its offerings include international stocks (US, Europe, Australia), property (EasyProperties), and crypto (EasyCrypto).

The company is preparing for its next phase of growth, which will be significantly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI).

In terms of asset classes, South African equities remain the number one investment on customers’ radars. However, the fastest-growing segment is cryptocurrency, which is showing double-digit growth in user engagement, albeit off a low base. Savage notes that the theme of crypto and the subsequent tokenisation of assets are set to be the “big investment theme for the next decade”.

EasyEquities is also expanding access through significant distribution channels, having deployed APIs to partner with major institutions like Capitec, Discovery Bank, and Telkom. These partnerships provide the company with access to between 65% and 70% of South Africans.

CEO Charles Savage is confident about the future outlook for South Africa, citing interest rate reductions that are expected to free up liquidity and increase investments in the market. He summarises the company’s trajectory: “We’ve built a world-class business—now we’re thinking globally”

South African fintech giant Purple Group, the JSE-listed company behind the immensely popular online trading platform EasyEquities, is defying global market uncertainty by forecasting an unprecedented earnings jump for its 2025 financial year.

The group anticipates a substantial increase in earnings per share and headline earnings per share. These earnings metrics are expected to increase by between 133% and 153%, demonstrating the platform’s sustained “meteoric rise”.

The Numbers Driving the Momentum

The lion’s share of Purple Group’s impressive financial performance comes directly from its Easy Group segment, which houses EasyEquities.

Key facts highlight the scale of the company’s success:

• Earnings Surge: Purple Group expects its earnings per share and headline earnings per share to rise by 4.12 to 4.47 cents.

• Revenue Performance: In the first half of the 2025 financial year, the group’s revenue grew by 25.8% to R238 million, with the Easy Group contributing R216 million.

• Profit Explosion: The Easy Group segment saw its after-tax profit grow by an astounding 238.3% during this period.

• Client Base: EasyEquities now boasts over one million active clients. The platform has increased retail investor participation in South Africa by 400% since its launch in 2014.

• Assets Under Management: Active retail clients grew by 8.2% to 1.02 million, while client assets under management grew by 31.4% to R67.2 billion.

Purple Group CEO and founder, Charles Savage, stated that this growth is not merely a “by-product of favourable conditions, but the outcome of deliberate decisions” to focus on value, reduce friction, and build resilience.

The Secret Sauce: Democratising Investment

EasyEquities was born out of a realisation that the traditional South African stockbroking industry had created a “myth” that investing in the JSE was complicated and required high fees. Savage recounts that the platform was conceived following 15 years of failure and a crucial conversation on a beach in Mozambique where acquaintances overwhelmingly agreed that investing simply needed to be easier.

The platform’s core competitive advantage lies in its “extreme attention to making investing easy for everyone”.

Pioneering Fractional Shares

EasyEquities successfully smashed the affordability barrier by pioneering Fractional Share Rights (FSRs)—a capability that made it the first online trading portal in the world to offer fractional ownership options on listed shares.

This system allows investors to participate in the market with small amounts of money, enabling individuals to buy a fractional stake in large entities like Naspers. FSRs are structured as a contract for difference (CFD), giving the investor a contractual claim to the economic benefits and risks (like price movements and dividends) without needing to own the underlying share directly.

Savage believes that FSRs “serve everyone regardless of their economic background and allow you to start a journey with safe amounts of money”.

Looking Ahead: AI and Global Ambitions

Starting 11 years ago with R2 million in seed capital, EasyEquities has rapidly diversified from a “one-trick pony” offering only South African shares. Today, its offerings include international stocks (US, Europe, Australia), property (EasyProperties), and crypto (EasyCrypto).

The company is preparing for its next phase of growth, which will be significantly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI).

In terms of asset classes, South African equities remain the number one investment on customers’ radars. However, the fastest-growing segment is cryptocurrency, which is showing double-digit growth in user engagement, albeit off a low base. Savage notes that the theme of crypto and the subsequent tokenisation of assets are set to be the “big investment theme for the next decade”.

EasyEquities is also expanding access through significant distribution channels, having deployed APIs to partner with major institutions like Capitec, Discovery Bank, and Telkom. These partnerships provide the company with access to between 65% and 70% of South Africans.

CEO Charles Savage is confident about the future outlook for South Africa, citing interest rate reductions that are expected to free up liquidity and increase investments in the market. He summarises the company’s trajectory: “We’ve built a world-class business—now we’re thinking globally”