Investec Group, led by South African govt Fani Titi, has been granted an vitality buying and selling license by the Nationwide Power Regulator of South Africa. The approval provides the financial institution a foothold within the nation’s newly liberalized energy market as companies search for aid from rising electrical energy prices and rolling blackouts.
“This license is greater than a regulatory approval—it’s about creating actual choices for our purchasers,” mentioned Mpho Modise, Investec’s head of renewable vitality buying and selling. “South Africa faces steep tariffs and provide uncertainty. Our purpose is to assist corporations handle these challenges whereas pushing the transition to cleaner vitality.”
Constructing a brand new energy enterprise
The license permits Investec to develop its portfolio of vitality companies. The financial institution will present corporations with entry to renewable energy with out the heavy upfront capital prices normally tied to new tasks.
It additionally opens the door for Investec to work extra carefully with impartial energy producers by funding tasks, shopping for energy, and arranging wheeling agreements that transfer electrical energy throughout the grid.
Investec’s first procurement will supply solar energy from the Ilikwa Photo voltaic PV facility within the Free State, now below building and anticipated to return on-line within the second quarter of 2026. “For us, this isn’t solely about vitality—it’s about resilience and long-term worth for our purchasers,” Modise mentioned.
Broader development below Titi
Based in Johannesburg in 1974, Investec employs about 7,400 individuals throughout its core markets. The group is listed in each London and Johannesburg. Since taking up as CEO in 2018, Titi has sharpened the group’s worldwide focus, lifting income to £1.81 billion ($2.46 billion) within the 12 months ended March 2025, up from £1.78 billion a 12 months earlier.
The bank applied for the license in May, marking its formal entry into South Africa’s personal vitality sector. It comes at a time when regulators are encouraging competitors to ease the nation’s persistent energy shortages.
Past vitality, Investec has expanded its advisory arm in Europe. In current instances, it purchased a majority stake in Zurich-based mergers adviser Capitalmind AG, rebranding it as Investec Switzerland. The transfer strengthens its place in continental Europe, the place it has operated since 1978.
