Connect

What Connect does

Connect (legal entity: Cash Connect Management Solutions (Proprietary) Limited), founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sandton, South Africa, is an integrated fintech platform serving approximately 44,000 small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) across Southern Africa, with a notable concentration in retail and the informal sector. The platform is organized around four core product lines unified through the Connected App (iOS and Android): Cash Connect delivers SABS Category 4-certified automated cash vaults and managed cash-in-transit with real-time settlement and an Instant Access facility; Capital Connect provides unsecured business funding of R50,000 to R5 million with 24-hour disbursement and 90–360 day tenors; Card Connect (Adumo Payments) supplies tap-and-pay merchant acquiring across mobile and countertop form factors; and EasyPay MoneyMarket / Kazang Connect delivers prepaid value-added services (airtime, electricity, DStv, lotto, gaming, and 600+ bill payments) at the retail till point. Hard cash deposits are settled same-day with guaranteed funds, and lending decisions draw on observed cash and card volumes on the platform.

The business generates revenue through five streams: interest and finance charges on merchant loans; managed-services fees for cash vaults and CIT logistics; transaction fees from card acquiring; commission revenue from prepaid aggregators; and hardware sales or leases of vault devices (I1200/I2000/N3K/N10K/Connectr) and EasyPay MoneyMarket terminals. Distribution combines a self-service digital channel (Connected App, web portal) with a direct sales force across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, call-centre inside sales (0861 FUNDED), WhatsApp support, and approved-service-provider relationships with major retail chains including Spar, Shell, Engen, Pick n Pay, and OK. Connect became a wholly owned subsidiary of Net1 UEPS Technologies (now Lesaka Technologies) following the November 2021 R3.7 billion acquisition, and in December 2025 was consolidated under the unified 'One Lesaka' brand. Disclosed FY ending February 2021 net revenue was R1.1 billion at a ~30% three-year CAGR, with management targeting R375 million EBITDA for FY2022 and annual transactional volume exceeding R100 billion through Cash Connect.

Name

Connect

Legal name

Cash Connect Management Solutions (Proprietary) Limited

Website

https://connected.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Connect is a South African integrated fintech platform serving roughly 44,000 retail SMMEs with automated cash vaults, unsecured business lending up to R5 million, card acquiring, and prepaid value-added services unified through the Connected App and bank-settled in real time.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Merchant Fintech / SME Financial Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Sales Financing (52222)

akta.pro primary industry

POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payment Gateways & API Connectivity (FSAGABAB), Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB), Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC), Fintech & Payments Partner / ISO Referral Networks (FSAEAMAK)

Keywords

• Merchant cash management
• Retail business lending
• Card payment acceptance
• Prepaid value-added services
• SME fintech platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandown

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Merchant Lending (Capital Connect): Interest and finance charges on unsecured business loans provided to retailers. Loans range from R50,000 to R5 million with repayment periods of 90-360 days. Early settlement discounts available.
2. Cash Management Services: Fees for cash vault solutions, cash-in-transit services, and automated cash management. Services include managed CIT solutions and deposit fee structures.
3. Card Payment Processing (Card Connect/Adumo): Transaction fees from card payment acceptance at retail till points, including tap & pay, mobile, and countertop card payments.
4. Prepaid Services (EasyPay MoneyMarket): Commission revenue from selling airtime, data, bill payments, gaming top-ups, lottery tickets, and entertainment vouchers at retail till points.
5. Hardware Sales: Sale and lease of cash vault devices (I1200, I2000, N3K, N10K) and EasyPay MoneyMarket touchscreen terminals to retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Connect is a South African fintech company that provides an integrated platform of four core offerings to SME retailers: Cash Connect (automated cash vaults and cash-in-transit management), Capital Connect (unsecured business funding up to R5 million within 24 hours), Card Connect / adumo Payments (card acceptance with tap & pay devices), and EasyPay MoneyMarket / Kazang Connect (prepaid airtime, data, electricity, bill payments, gaming and lottery vouchers). These products are tied together through the Connected App, enabling retailers to manage cash flow, secure funding, accept card payments and sell prepaid services from a single platform.

Product overview

Connect is a South African fintech company offering a unified platform of four core product lines for retail SMEs: Cash Connect (automated cash management with secure vaults and cash-in-transit), Capital Connect (business funding up to R5 million in 24 hours), Card Connect/Adumo Payments (card payment acceptance), and EasyPay MoneyMarket/Kazang Connect (prepaid value-added services and bill payments). The products integrate through the Connected App, enabling retailers to manage cash flow, access funding, accept payments, and sell prepaid services from a single platform. The company operates as part of Lesaka Technologies and rebranded to 'One Lesaka' in late 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• adumo Payments: Card payment solutions offering simple, fast and affordable card payment acceptance at till-point and on the go

Products and services

• Cash Connect End-to-end automated cash management solution for retail businesses, including secure cash vaults built to SABS Cat 4 standards, cash-in-transit logistics, cash processing, and real-time Instant Access to vault cash. Provides same-day settlement and immediate risk transfer. Targeted at SME retailers handling high volumes of physical cash.
• Capital Connect Business funding fintech providing unsecured loans from R50,000 up to R5 million to retail SMEs, with approval and disbursement within 24 hours via the Connected App. Offers flexible repayment periods of 90, 180, 270, or 360 days, with early settlement discounts.
• Card Connect (adumo Payments) Card payment solutions offering simple, fast and affordable mobile and countertop card acceptance devices with tap & pay / contactless functionality, enabling cash withdrawals at point of sale to drive footfall and convenience for established and informal retail merchants.
• EasyPay MoneyMarket (Kazang Connect) Prepaid value-added services platform enabling retailers to sell airtime, data, electricity, DStv/Showmax payments, Lotto/gaming vouchers, and process over 600 bill payments at till-point via a 15-inch touchscreen device. Generates commission revenue for retailers from prepaid sales.
• Kazang Connect

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% cost savings on cash management vs manual handling (R15,000 vs R30,000/month)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Spar GroupmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner. Cash Connect is an approved service provider to Spar Group for automated cash management solutions.
• ShellmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFuel retailer partner. Cash Connect provides automated cash management solutions to Shell service stations.
• EngenmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFuel retailer partner. Cash Connect provides automated cash management solutions to Engen service stations.
• Pick n PaymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail chain partner. Cash Connect is an approved service provider to Pick n Pay for automated cash management solutions.
• OKmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail chain partner. Cash Connect is an approved service provider to OK stores for automated cash management solutions.
• Bureau of Market Research (BMR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting market research on retail trends, consumer behavior, and economic impact studies commissioned by Capital Connect for thought leadership content.
• Adumo PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationCard payment solutions brand under Connect Group providing mobile and countertop card acceptance devices with tap & pay functionality for established and informal retail markets.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Network International: Africa and Middle East-focused payment processor and acquirer offering merchant acquiring, processing, and value-added services. Comparable to Connect's Card Connect/Adumo acquiring operations, but with a broader regional footprint.

Direct peers

• Zapper: South African QR-based mobile payment provider enabling consumers to pay merchants via scan-to-pay at the till point. Overlaps with Connect's till-point payment acceptance and EasyPay MoneyMarket prepaid rails.
• Yoco: South African fintech serving SMEs with card payment acceptance, working-capital products, and an integrated POS-style app. Closely comparable to Connect's Card Connect and Capital Connect lines targeting the same small-merchant base.
• iKhokha: Durban-based SME fintech offering card acceptance, business lending, and prepaid products to South African retailers. Direct overlap with Connect's integrated payment, lending, and VAS offering for small merchants.
• SnapScan: South African QR and in-person payment acceptance app widely used at SME retailers. Comparable to Connect's till-point card and mobile acceptance products serving the same merchant base.
• Peach Payments: South African payment gateway and acquiring provider serving online and in-person merchants. Comparable to Card Connect/Adumo Payments on the merchant-acquiring side of Connect's business.

Broad incumbents

• TymeBank: South African digital bank serving mass-market and SME customers with transaction accounts, payments, and merchant services. Broader incumbent competing with Connect on embedded finance, deposit-like products, and SME banking.
• M-Pesa Africa: Pan-African mobile money platform offering consumer wallets, merchant payments, and financial services across multiple African markets. A broader incumbent that competes with Connect's prepaid VAS and merchant money-movement offerings.
• Capitec: Large South African retail bank serving mass-market and SME customers with transactional, lending, and merchant services. A broad incumbent against whom Connect competes on SME cash management, payments, and unsecured lending.

Others

• Finbond Mutual Bank: South African mutual bank focused on microlending and savings products to lower-income and informal-market customers. Comparable as an alternative unsecured credit provider operating in Connect's SME and informal-retail segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connectedwithus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cashvaults
• Facebookfacebook.com/connectingpotential
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connectwithus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connect