By By Ralph Speirs- Senior CSI Officer at the JSE
South Africa faces a financial literacy challenge that has consequences far beyond individual households. Too many young people enter adulthood without a practical understanding or formal education of how to grow wealth, manage risk or make informed financial decisions. The result is a society where saving and investing often feel inaccessible, intimidating or reserved for a privileged few.
This matters because financial literacy is not simply a personal skill. It is an economic capability. Individuals who understand how money works are better equipped to build financial resilience, participate in capital markets, plan for the future and contribute to economic growth. Developing these capabilities early should, therefore, be viewed not only as an educational priority but as an investment in South Africa’s future prosperity.
This is why the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has spent more than five decades running the JSE Investment Challenge, an initiative designed to make investing understandable, accessible and relevant to young South Africans.
Participation has continued to grow, increasing from 66,000 learners and students in 2025 to nearly 92,000 in 2026. This reflects both a growing interest in investing among young South Africans and the JSE’s ongoing efforts to democratise access to financial markets through financial literacy and practical investment education.
Financial literacy initiatives are most effective when supported by educators. Teachers and lecturers play a critical role in helping learners connect financial concepts to real-world applications. We have consistently seen schools and universities achieve exceptional results when passionate educators actively champion financial literacy and encourage participation in the Challenge.
For this reason, the JSE invests in providing educators with resources, guidance and practical tools that make investment education more accessible and engaging. When learners can move beyond theory and experience financial concepts in practice, the learning becomes far more meaningful and enduring.
The long-term impact of financial literacy is perhaps best demonstrated through the success stories that emerge from the programme. One such example is Nivedna Maharaj, who participated in the Investment Challenge while at school and today is the Head of Retail Investments Global Markets at Standard Bank Group. Her journey is testament to how early exposure to financial markets can contribute in shaping confidence, career aspirations and future opportunities.
Another important lesson in financial literacy is the distinction between saving and investing. Saving plays a vital role in financial security and helps individuals prepare for short- and medium-term goals. Investing, however, introduces the concept of growing wealth over the long term. It requires patience, discipline and an understanding that meaningful returns are rarely generated overnight.
This lesson is particularly important in an era where social media often celebrates the exceptional rather than the typical. Narratives of rapid wealth creation and extraordinary investment returns can obscure the patience, discipline and long-term decision-making that underpin sustainable wealth creation. These narratives can create unrealistic expectations about how wealth is built and leave people more vulnerable to investment scams.
The experience of the Investment Challenge often replaces those misconceptions with a more sustainable and informed outlook. Over the years, we have observed a notable shift in how participants engage with investing. While previous generations of participants were often attracted by the prospect of quick gains, today’s learners and students are asking deeper questions. They want to understand how companies create value, how markets operate and how investments support economic growth.
This growing curiosity is encouraging. It reflects an understanding that investing is not merely a financial activity but a way of participating in the growth of businesses, industries and economies. Creating this shift in mindset is one of the core ambitions of the JSE Investment Challenge. By investing in financial literacy at an early age, we are helping to build a generation that sees investing not as a shortcut to wealth but as a long-term tool for financial resilience, wealth creation and economic participation.
Another important principle of financial literacy is that investing is not only for people with significant amounts of money. Although our Investment Challenge participants manage a virtual portfolio of R1 million, one of the key messages they take away is that successful investing starts with developing the right habits, not with having a large amount of capital. Consistent contributions over time, combined with patience and sound decision-making, can be far more powerful than many people realise.
Ultimately, the greatest value of financial literacy lies not only in developing future investment professionals but in empowering South Africans to make informed financial decisions, build financial resilience and improve their long-term financial wellbeing.
If South Africa is to build a more inclusive and prosperous economy, we need more people who understand how to save, invest and participate in wealth creation. Financial literacy is one of the foundations of that future.
