ASISA Academy
ASISA Academy is a South African non-profit business school that delivers CPD-accredited training and short courses for the savings, investment, and life insurance industries, alongside consumer financial literacy programmes such as WageWise, FLAME, Build Up, and L+EARN #SecureTheBag for workers, micro-enterprises, students, and co-operatives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ASISA Academy does
ASISA Academy is a South African Non-Profit Company (NPC) that operates an independent business school delivering learning solutions to the country's savings, investment, and life insurance industries. Founded in 2007 as part of the broader ASISA (Association for Savings and Investment South Africa) group alongside the ASISA Foundation and ASISA Enterprise and Supplier Development, the Academy is headquartered in Cape Town with a regional office in Johannesburg and operates with 11-50 employees.
The Academy's product set spans four pillars: (1) Retirement Fund Trustee Education (RFTE), a Batseta-CPD-accredited workshop programme covering governance, investments, and member benefits, delivered online to South African trustees and principal officers on a fully-funded basis; (2) fee-bearing professional short courses co-delivered with the University of Cape Town in life insurance claims, investment management, collective investment schemes, and equity analysis, priced between R15,050 and R35,849 plus VAT; (3) short professional sprints such as the 'AI in Life Insurance' course; and (4) consumer financial literacy programmes — including WageWise, FLAME, Build Up, and SWW L+EARN #SecureTheBag — delivered through ASISA Foundation partnerships with employers, trade unions, TVET colleges, and Sanlam, Coronation, and ECIC sponsorship.
The underlying delivery infrastructure combines an MS Teams/Zoom-based RFTE workshop layer with a mobile-first, gamified, microlearning digital platform implemented through third-party partner Digemy, layered with radio and short-form video outreach via Power FM, Gagasi FM, Heart FM, and TikTok. The business model is a hybrid of sponsor-funded foundation programmes and fee-bearing professional courses, with non-trustee workshop seats paid at R2,125 plus VAT; revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Cumulative reach exceeds 150,000 participants across all nine South African provinces, with almost 40,000 reached in FY2024/2025 and 2,032 TVET students added through the 2025 L+EARN digital pilot.
ASISA Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ASISA Academy
- Legal name
- ASISA Academy NPC
- Website
- https://asisa.org.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ASISA Academy is a South African non-profit business school that delivers CPD-accredited training and short courses for the savings, investment, and life insurance industries, alongside consumer financial literacy programmes such as WageWise, FLAME, Build Up, and L+EARN #SecureTheBag for workers, micro-enterprises, students, and co-operatives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ASISA Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
ASISA Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel
Revenue model
- Workshop fees for non-trustees: Non-trustees and non-principal officers pay fees to attend RFTE workshops. The ASISA Academy delivers engaging, online, CPD points-bearing workshops with fees charged to non-trustees who wish to attend.
- Short course fees: Short courses offered in partnership with UCT are priced at various levels (R15,050 to R35,849 + VAT) and delivered online over specified periods.
- Fully-funded trustee education: RFTE workshops are delivered on a fully-funded basis to South African Trustees and Principal Officers through grand funding from sponsors and the ASISA Foundation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Retirement Fund Trustee Education workshops - fully-funded for trustees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | RFTE workshop fee for non-trustees |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | UCT Life Insurance Claims Assessors Short Course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | UCT Investment Management Industry Short Course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | UCT Collective Investment Schemes Short Course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Equity Analyst Short Course |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
ASISA Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ASISA Academy is an independent business school delivering CPD-accredited learning solutions for the savings, investment, and life insurance industry. It provides retirement fund trustee education workshops, professional short courses in partnership with the University of Cape Town, and digital financial literacy programmes for students, workers, micro-enterprise owners, and co-operative members. The Academy is part of the ASISA (Association for Savings and Investment South Africa) non-profit ecosystem.
Product overview
ASISA Academy is an independent business school offering high quality learning solutions designed and delivered by savings and investment industry experts. The Academy operates primarily as a platform-plus-programmes model consisting of: (1) Retirement Fund Trustee Education (RFTE) workshops - CPD points-bearing courses for trustees and principal officers covering governance, member benefits, and investments topics, delivered via MS Teams/Zoom; (2) Short Courses offered in partnership with UCT including Life Insurance Claims Assessors, Investment Management Industry, Collective Investment Schemes, and Equity Analyst programmes; (3) Professional sprints such as AI in Life Insurance; and (4) Digital learning programmes like SWW L+EARN SecureTheBag for students. The Academy also partners with the ASISA Foundation which delivers related consumer financial education programmes (WageWise, FLAME, Build Up) targeting workers, micro-enterprise owners, and community groups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Retirement Fund Trustee Education (RFTE) CPD points-bearing workshop programme providing retirement fund trustees and principal officers with training on fiduciary and governance duties, investments, and member benefits, delivered online via MS Teams or Zoom on a fully-funded basis.
- Foundations for Retirement Fund Trustees A six-week foundational course providing trustees with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to fulfil fiduciary and governance duties, delivered online in 3-hour sessions.
- UCT Life Insurance Claims Assessors Short Course A professional short course offered in partnership with UCT for aspiring and current claims assessors in the South African life insurance industry, priced at R35,849 + VAT.
- UCT Investment Management Industry (IMI) Short Course A professional short course offered in partnership with UCT covering investment management industry knowledge and practices, priced at R20,200 + VAT.
- UCT Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) Short Course A professional short course offered in partnership with UCT covering collective investment schemes, priced at R15,050 + VAT.
- Equity Analyst Short Course A professional short course covering equity analysis methodologies and practices, priced at R15,405 + VAT.
- AI in Life Insurance Sprint A focused sprint course covering AI applications in life insurance, ranging from automation to autonomous operations.
- SWW L+EARN SecureTheBag Digital financial education programme for TVET college and university students covering budgeting, credit management, savings, and the world of work, delivered via mobile-first gamified platform with bite-sized modules.
- WageWise Consumer financial education programme targeting South African workers to help them manage current and future income better, covering budgeting, retirement planning, and credit management, delivered through employers and trade unions.
- FLAME (Financial Literacy and Micro-Enterprise) Entrepreneurship training and support programme for micro-enterprise owners in township and rural areas with businesses generating less than R1 million revenue per year, using an accredited business development methodology.
- Build Up Financial literacy training for members of organised community structures such as housing co-operatives and agricultural co-operatives who share common financial goals.
Quantifiable outcome
- 88% average quiz score in L+EARN digital pilot
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ASISA Academy
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ASISA Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ASISA Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)coreNUM partnered with Sanlam Foundation and ASISA Foundation to develop and deliver Project Qaphela financial literacy project for NUM members in mining, energy, and construction sectors.
- DigemycoreDigemy implemented the SWW L+EARN #SecureTheBag Digital Pilot using their award-winning, mobile-first, gamified learning platform. Their approach tackles the forgetting curve where up to 80% of learning is lost within 24 hours.
- DNA EconomicscoreDNA Economics conducted independent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for the L+EARN SecureTheBag Digital Pilot to measure outcomes, impact, and learner performance.
- BatsetacoreBatseta is a strategic partner providing CPD accreditation for ASISA Academy's Retirement Fund Trustee Education workshops.
- IRFA (Institute of Retirement Funds Africa)minorIRFA is a strategic relationship partner for RFTE programme delivery and development.
- Atleha-educoreAtleha-edu collaborates with ASISA Foundation for production of publications and engagements on topics relevant to retirement fund trustees such as climate change and alternative investments.
- University of Cape Town (UCT)coreUCT partners with ASISA Academy to deliver short courses including Life Insurance Claims Assessors, Investment Management Industry, Collective Investment Schemes, and Equity Analyst programmes.
- TVET CollegescorePartnership with TVET colleges including Ekurhuleni West TVET, Ikhala TVET, Elangeni TVET, West Coast TVET, and Orbit TVET for delivery of L+EARN SecureTheBag digital financial education pilot.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ASISA Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Management: UCT's business school and a strategic partner of ASISA Academy for short course delivery. Comparable as a top-tier SA business school serving financial services professionals.
- Milpark Education: South African private higher education institution offering accredited business, financial planning, and investment management programmes. Closest direct competitor in the SA financial services professional education space.
- Wits Business School: Major South African business school offering MBA, executive education, and financial services-related programmes; competes for the same mid-career professional cohort.
- Regenesys Business School: South African private business school offering management and leadership programmes with strong corporate training and CPD offerings, competing for the same professional development budgets.
- Stellenbosch Business School: Top-tier South African business school with executive development and short courses in investment and financial management, overlapping with ASISA Academy's professional market.
- Mancosa: South African private higher education institution with a broad business and management portfolio, including financial services-adjacent programmes, targeting working professionals.
- Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS): Leading South African business school offering executive education and short courses; a primary alternative for corporate training budgets in financial services.
Broad incumbents
- Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI): South Africa's professional body for financial planners, offering certification, CPD, and practitioner education that overlaps with the Academy's professional development market.
- Batseta: Industry body and CPD accreditation partner for retirement funds in South Africa. While a strategic partner of ASISA Academy, it also coordinates trustee training and conferences that overlap with RFTE content.
- Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA): Industry association for retirement funds in Africa providing training, events, and education for trustees and principal officers - directly overlapping with ASISA Academy's RFTE audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ASISA Academy social profiles
Digital presenceASISA Academy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ASISA Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ASISA Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ASISA Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ASISA Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ASISA Academy
What does ASISA Academy do?
ASISA Academy is an independent business school delivering CPD-accredited learning solutions for the savings, investment, and life insurance industry. It provides retirement fund trustee education workshops, professional short courses in partnership with the University of Cape Town, and digital financial literacy programmes for students, workers, micro-enterprise owners, and co-operative members. The Academy is part of the ASISA (Association for Savings and Investment South Africa) non-profit ecosystem.
Is ASISA Academy a public or private company?
ASISA Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ASISA Academy founded?
ASISA Academy was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ASISA Academy based?
ASISA Academy is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does ASISA Academy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Workshop fees for non-trustees are the primary driver. The others are short course fees and fully-funded trustee education.
Who are ASISA Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Management, Milpark Education, Wits Business School, Regenesys Business School, Stellenbosch Business School, Mancosa and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Broad incumbents are Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI), Batseta and Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA).
Does ASISA Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for ASISA Academy.