The South African digital bank, GoTyme Bank, which declared 2026 as its “best year yet”, is looking ahead to 2027 as another promising period of further growth as it charts the way forward to a brighter future.
The bank’s leadership were buoyed by the phenomenal results that prompted them to see 2026 as an important year in its calendar of successful performance. Now, with 2027 a few months away, it has more financial offerings up the sleeve that promise to take the bank to the next level in its resilient journey of digital banking innovation.
The South African digital bank, GoTyme Bank, declared 2026 as its “best year yet”,
The details of this growth were revealed by the bank’s CEO, Cheslyn Jacobs, who spoke alongside Group Executive: Operations, Nolwazi Nzama, to explain GoTyme Bank’s story of success marked by significant milestones this year during an exclusive briefing to local media in Hyde Park, Johannesburg on Thursday. Customers took centre stage during the event, appearing in video clips where they reflected on their positive experiences with GoTyme’s customer service.
Part of the media that attended the briefing in Johannesburg
GoTYme Bank, formerly known as TymeBank prior to its rebranding, is a prominent digital bank in South Africa and part of the GoTyme Group, with global market footprints in markets including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, and Singapore, serving over 23 million customers. Since its launch in February 2019, the South African bank has experienced rapid growth, now serving more than 13 million customers, while maintaining a strong emphasis on simplicity, transparency, and empowerment.
GoTyme Bank, formerly known as TymeBank, has global market footprints in markets including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, and Singapore,
Among its milestones are Customer experience that soared as the 2027 pipeline takes shape, while the fastest-growing digital bank closes in on becoming SA’s top three by monthly active users. Jacobs described 2026 as GoTyme Bank’s best year yet, putting it on track for top three status with a series of growth surges. This is part of the growth, with advances more than doubled as deposits climbed to nearly R10 billion. As the bank marks its “best year yet”, advances shot to up 126%, deposits up 27%, total income up 25% and fee income up 41%.
According to Jacobs, GoTyme Bank has delivered a breakout year of growth, with net customer advances more than doubling to R5.08 billion and customer deposits climbing 27% to R9.69 billion, as the bank continues to scale beyond its challenger roots. He said total income rose 25% to R2.72 billion, with net interest income up 13% to R1.4 billion. The performance comes in a defining year that saw TymeBank become GoTyme Bank, more than four million customers move onto the new GoTyme app, and the bank strengthen its position in digital payments and customer experience.
“What stands out is not one isolated number. It is the breadth of the momentum we are seeing across the bank. More customers are trusting us with their money; our lending business has expanded substantially, income is growing, and customers are using GoTyme more actively,” Jacobs said.
Growth That Returns Value to Customers
He proudly announced that GoTyme Bank now serves more than 13 million customers and completed one of its biggest operational projects of the year: migrating more than four million customers to its new app. Based on its current trajectory, the bank expects to become South Africa’s third-largest bank by monthly active users by the first quarter of 2027. “We are operating at meaningful scale, and with that comes a greater responsibility to give customers an experience that gets better as we grow,” Jacobs said.
The CEO said GoTyme’s growth is also changing the economics of everyday payments for customers. The bank estimates that customers are already saving more than R150 million a year because qualifying instant payments are free. Known by colleagues as a man of numbers, Jacobs proved to be the number cruncher, with a clear understanding of the bank’s performance and customer growth. The number of customers using PayShap has increased by more than 250% year on year, while almost 70% of payments made by GoTyme customers are now instant and free. Approximately 26% of South Africa’s PayShap cellphone payments originate from GoTyme accounts.
“We don’t want free instant payments to remain a GoTyme competitive advantage forever. We want the industry to copy us. Instant should be the standard, and we believe free should be the standard too,” Jacobs said.
With digital as the name of the game at GoTyme Bank, he emphasised the significance of digital compared to ATM or physical banking, as customers have moved in large numbers in favour of digital transactions that the bank adopted as its domain. He said virtual-card spend has also increased 240% year on year, including 65% growth in the most recent quarter, reflecting the accelerating shift toward digital payments.
The Year 2027 Promises Bigger Things in Customer Experience
The business momentum has been accompanied by a marked improvement in customer experience. In the latest Ask Afrika Orange Index, GoTyme Bank moved from sixth to second place in banking in one year. Nolwazi Nzama, Group Executive: Operations at GoTyme Bank, said the bank’s ambition is to make digital banking simpler without making it feel distant. As Nzama articulated the GoHuman, she stressed the human elements that must not be left behind or neglected as the digital era begins to engulf banking.
“Customers should not have to choose between great technology and great service. Sometimes the best experience is solving something yourself in seconds. Sometimes you need a real person. GoHuman is about making both possible,” Nzama said.
GoTyme is on track to have 140 Customer Hubs operational across the country by year-end, complementing its digital channels with face-to-face support. These hubs, said Nzama is where the bank wants to feel the pulse of the customer while being up close and personal with the customer. The plan to increase their number is deliberate to achieve exactly this goal.
Building a Deeper Financial Relationship
The upcoming year is expected to bring a significant increase in customer engagement. For 2027, GoTyme Bank plans to enhance its relationship with customers by expanding offerings related to credit, lending, rewards, and investment options. The organisation has a packed action plan supported by a well-defined roadmap that features a credit card, an updated version of its buy-now-pay-later service – MoreTyme, increased personal lending through its partnership with Sanlam, and a new rewards Programme designed to be straightforward, practical, and valuable. Additionally, GoTyme is working to give customers easier access to a range of investment and digital asset opportunities, pending the necessary product, regulatory, and licensing approvals.
“The strategy is not simply more products. It is a deeper relationship with customers – across payments, saving, credit, rewards, investment and service – while keeping the experience simple and valuable. Scale matters. Innovation matters. But ultimately customers need to feel the benefit. The more digital the world becomes, the more human your bank needs to be,” Jacobs said.
