Evolutionary Awards Entries – 2025
The Evolutionary Entries.
Winners announcement
Terms & Conditions
Evolutions in improving individual & member outcomes
The landscape of retirement savings has been characterised by complexity, prohibitive costs and a significant disconnect between funds and the very members they serve.
Our evolution addresses these challenges, providing a holistic, accessible and impactful approach to fund administration and investment management.
What if? It’s a deceptively simple question. Yet it has the power to challenge the status quo and unlock new futures. What if every retirement fund member — regardless of age, income or wealth — had the superpower to change their financial journey? That superpower already exists and it’s called financial advice.
In a country where financial stress is the silent crisis undermining workforce wellness, NMG Benefits has pioneered a transformative employee support solution that is changing lives and redefining the role of employee benefits — all at no cost to employers or employees.
Tennant Group has developed an industry revolution in providing a Risk Reinsurance Profit share based product for any multinational, effectively meaning that risk premiums can be paid back to members.
Established in 2008, the original mission of 10X Investments was bold yet simple: “to help South Africans secure their financial future wealth, one smart investment at a time.” Rooted in a philosophy of disruption, the company aimed to cut through the complexity, high costs, and opacity of traditional investing.
Evolutions in employee benefits & advice
MyBento is a category-defining embedded finance platform that is transforming the employee benefits landscape in South Africa, starting with the segment that needs it most: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Paragon Impact was founded with a clear mission: to close the gap between ESG compliance and real-world impact. We saw that while ESG reporting had become more common, it was rarely useful in guiding decision-making, allocating capital, or understanding performance in terms that mattered, especially in the world of retirement funds and employee benefit schemes.
Whilst the Pension Funds Act prescibes that all registered Retirement Funds secure complusory “Fidelity” insurance, the regulator has not provided any meaningful guidelines or tools to assist boards of trustees in asessing an appropriate level of cover. What’s more, the insurance product itself has evolved. How much cover does a board need?
ICTS Legal Services has created an unprecedented collaboration with DataGr8 and the Cyber Security Institute (CSI) to bring to market a fully automated, independent and technically advanced Joint Standard 2 cybersecurity and cyber resilience offering, making the role of the trustee and their providers efficient and effective, allowing for not just compliance with the Joint Standard but a focus on strong cybersecurity too.
AgendaWorx AI transforms the laborious task of creating professional board meeting minutes into a streamlined, intelligent process that requires just three simple clicks. Simply upload your meeting recording at your agenda, and AgendaWorx will create professional formatted and written minutes from your agenda content and audio recording.
AgendaWorx provides board members with a single, highly secure platform where they can sign documents, vote on resolutions, prepare for meetings, use AI as their thought partner, and communicate with fellow board members – all within ONE SAFE PLACE. This comprehensive governance hub eliminates the fragmented approach of using multiple systems and platforms, bringing every aspect of board work into a unified, secure environment.
Evolutions in asset management
The Glacier AI Flexible Fund of Funds and Glacier AI Balanced Fund represent a fundamental reimagining of portfolio management, born from confronting an uncomfortable truth: even the most experienced human portfolio managers are prisoners of their own psychology.
Since inception in 2018, Differential Capital has fundamentally evolved how asset management approaches investment decision-making by bridging the gap between traditional fundamental analysis and cutting-edge data science. Our evolution represents a paradigm shift from intuition-driven investment processes to systematic, data-driven methodologies that capture opportunities invisible to conventional approaches.
The evolution of STANLIB Asset Management’s Systematic Solutions team has been a methodical transformation anchored in building a scalable, research-driven, and technology-enabled investment process.
The 27four DEI Index aims to measure, benchmark, and promote DEI within the South African asset management industry. By evaluating firms against a set of well-defined criteria, the Index encourages the adoption of DEI best practices and fosters meaningful transformation across the sector.
In light of recent changes to Regulation 28 offshore limits and heightened geopolitical tensions, returns within the corporate retirement fund industry have diverged significantly. To address these challenges, Discovery launched the Multi Balanced Fund—offering a unique strategy that balances simplicity with smart access to consistent investment returns.
In a financial landscape historically shaped by exclusivity, MSM Property Fund is leading an evolution – transforming access to real estate investments through an innovative, first-of-its-kind fintech solution: the MSM Property App.
Most promising women-led initiatives
The ASISA Academy, in partnership with Joint Prosperity, launched the Fezeka Graduate Programme in 2023. This was to address the gender gap in the Investment Management industry.
Discovery Women Move (DWM) is a leadership and inclusion platform, initiated by Discovery’s Corporate and Employee Benefits CEO, Nonku Pitje and endorsed by Discovery’s senior leadership and sponsored by the SA Exco. It was created to bridge gender gaps in leadership, foster growth and inclusion, and cultivate a sense of belonging among women at Discovery.
The Mergence Global Equity Quant Fund, led by Fazila Manjoo, Portfolio Manager at Mergence Investment Managers, represents a significant evolution in the South African asset management landscape – both in terms of product innovation and inclusive leadership.
Terebinth Capital has been deliberate in positioning themselves as the market leader for developing and advancing young female talent within the investment management space.
Most promising new black-owned initiatives
Effectus Capital Management has evolved tremendously over the past 5 years. Initially, the business was 88% black owned and our employee base was 67% black, with no females. We had a limited track record and we struggled to grow in our first 4 years of operation. The business is now 100% black owned and our staff compliment is 100% black i.e. our investment team is fully transformed.
Since their beginning in 2019, Motswedi Economic Transformation Specialists has been singularly focused on driving economic transformation in the South African financial services industry.
ALT Capital Partners is the investment manager of REimagine Social Impact Retail Fund 1. ALT was incorporated in 2018 and REimagine incorporated in November 2022 as a private equity real estate fund with R1.3 billion of equity commitments and R585m of commitment backed facilities.
Wealthvest Investment Management is more than a new player in the South African asset management space, it is the embodiment of a vision rooted in transformation, resilience, and excellence. Founded in 2024 by Zaid Paruk CA(SA), Wealthvest was born out of a deep desire to redefine access, ethics, and performance in an industry where Black-owned and Black-led firms remain underrepresented.
Over the years, Old Mutual Investment Group have deliberately evolved into a majority black-owned, majority black women-owned business, positioning themselves as one of the most promising new initiatives in the sector.
The Greatest Impact
At the core of Old Mutual Alternative Investments’ evolution is the progressive integration of sustainability and ESG principles into their investment philosophy and daily operations. Initially, ESG considerations were employed mainly as tools for managing risk and compliance, forming part of a basic due diligence checklist. However, with a growing global consciousness of climate risks, social inequalities and governance imperatives, their approach has matured significantly.
ALT Capital’s REimagine Social Impact Retail Fund 1 is a social impact retail fund investing in green field as well as income producing convenience retail assets in rural and township areas of South Africa.
10X has been able to help over 60,000 South Africans have a better retirement. From their Retirement Reality Report which raises awareness of the dire situation of South Africans, to their many CSI initiatives, their philosophy of “working for the greater good” is embedded in their organisation.
This submission relates to a recently introduced tracing innovation by Fairheads Benefit Services – the MAVAMBO APP. This app not only marks a significant ‘Evolutionary’ milestone in cracking the unclaimed benefits code in South Africa, but is in fact ‘Revolutionary’.
The Mergence Infrastructure & Development | Equity Fund I (the Fund) is an alternative investment fund launched in 2015 by Mergence Investment Managers (Mergence) as part of its suite of impact funds. The Fund was established to invest in unlisted equity and quasi-equity (e.g. mezzanine debt) in infrastructure and developmental assets, with a strong focus on water, digital infrastructure and affordable housing. This submission outlines how the Fund has contributed meaningfully to the evolution of impact investing in Southern Africa, while simultaneously supporting critically needed infrastructure development in the region.
Through Values-Based Investing in an era of increasingly complex financial systems and widening wealth inequality, Wealthvest Investment Management has carved a unique and purpose-driven path within the South African asset management landscape. Their commitment to ethical decision-making and long-term economic sustainability is illustrated in the launch and continued evolution of their flagship initiative: the Wealthvest Shariah Equity 27four Fund.
SOLmate delivers a cutting edge bank like app to underserved and underbanked customers, bringing financial services through technology to many more deserving people in this country. They have given customers a safe place to store their wages, reduced reliance on cash and eased the burden of employers (mostly small businesses) and how they pay their staff every month.