Billionaire Motsepe-backed GoTyme Bank makes all employees shareholders in new ownership push
GoTyme Bank has launched an employee ownership initiative that will allow staff across the company to hold stakes in the fast-growing digital lender backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe.
Black News 
![Patrice Motsepe owns the majority shares at TymeBank. [Photo by Tnani Badreddine/vi/DeFodi Images via Getty Images]](https://ocdn.eu/pulscms/MDA_/f3ebae1b4928ce9e7265280d209bfbea.jpg)
GoTyme Bank has launched an employee ownership initiative that will allow staff across the company to hold stakes in the fast-growing digital lender backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe.
- GoTyme Bank has launched an employee ownership program, allowing over 2,000 staff globally to hold stakes in the digital lender.
- The initiative aims to deepen employee participation in the company’s long-term growth and financial success.
- GoTyme Bank, majority owned by African Rainbow Capital Investments, serves over 21 million customers and operates in multiple countries, including South Africa and the Philippines.
- The bank was valued at $1.5 billion in 2024 and is considering a public listing within the next three to four years, targeting a potential $15 billion valuation.
GoTyme Bank has launched an employee ownership initiative that will allow staff across the company to hold stakes in the fast-growing digital lender backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe.
The bank extended the offer this week to its more than 2,000 employees globally as part of efforts to deepen staff participation in the company’s long-term growth strategy. Internal education sessions have also begun to help workers understand the structure and potential benefits of the ownership programme, according to Bloomberg.
“We want our staff to behave like owners,” GoTyme Bank Chief Executive Officer Cheslyn Jacobs said during an event in Johannesburg. He added that the bank remains in a “hyper-growth phase” and believes the initiative could create a meaningful financial impact for employees over time.
Majority owned by African Rainbow Capital Investments, GoTyme Bank has emerged as one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital lenders, serving more than 21 million customers across South Africa and the Philippines through a joint venture with the Gokongwei Group.
Strong investor backing
The lender also counts Tencent Holdings among its investors and has operations spanning Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore.
GoTyme was valued at $1.5 billion in 2024 after a fundraising round that included a $150 million investment from Nu Holdings, one of Latin America’s largest financial firms.
Jacobs said the bank expects to post record profits for the financial year ending June, while adding roughly 450,000 new customers every month across its markets.
The company is also preparing for a potential public listing within the next three to four years, though Jacobs said management would only proceed when market conditions and valuation expectations align. He suggested the lender could eventually target a valuation of about $15 billion as it scales toward 50 million customers globally.
Employee ownership schemes are not entirely new in Africa’s banking sector, although GoTyme Bank is among the more prominent digital banks to extend ownership opportunities broadly across its workforce.
