Who We Are at Lesaka

Lesaka is a South African financial technology company focused on serving the underserved. We deliver financial services to consumers (B2C) and merchants (B2B) in Southern Africa through our proprietary banking and payment technologies. We offer banking, lending and insurance solutions to consumers, and we offer cash management solutions, bill payment technology, value-added services, business funding and card acquiring solutions to formal and informal retail merchants.

We started our journey as Net1 in 1997. Since then, we have grown our systems and capabilities to deliver meaningful fintech-enabled solutions across the consumer and merchant segments. Led by a new leadership team with strong credentials and international experience, and following a comprehensive strategic review, we have entered a new era for the group with a new name introduced in 2022: Lesaka.

Lesaka, much like the “kraal” it is named after, is about building and protecting the financial wellbeing of the communities we serve. We do this by championing financial inclusion for consumers and merchants, opening them to new possibilities.

For thousands of years livestock have been seen as a symbol of security, community and wealth. Protecting and caring for your livestock was central to preserving the dignity and pride of your community. To protect these animals, and the communities that depended on them, enclosures were built commonly known as “kraals” in South Africa. Because of their importance, kraals were built in the centre of a community and seen as the social and economic heart of the village. Only the most reliable people were entrusted with their care and protection.

As Lesaka, we are entrusted with the responsibility of building and protecting the financial wellbeing of the communities we serve. Our deeply felt  awareness of this responsibility drives our choices and actions as we fight for the financial inclusion of every single South African.

A “kraal”. “ Lesaka ” means “ kraal” in seSotho and seTswana. A “kraal” protects the most valuable assets of a community, their livestock.