Centre of Excellence in Financial Services

What Centre of Excellence in Financial Services does

COEFS is a South African non-profit company (NPC) registered on 23 December 2016 and headquartered in Rosebank, Johannesburg. It operates as an independent financial services think tank conducting and disseminating research on banking, risk management, fintech, financial market development, and adjacent policy topics including deposit insurance, receivables finance, SME banking, AfCFTA financial integration, critical minerals financing, AI ethics in banking, and quantum computing in financial services. Its primary audiences are South African banks, the South African Reserve Bank, National Treasury, the FSCA, government departments, academic institutions, and industry associations, with secondary reach into continental and global bodies such as the African Development Bank, WEF, IIF, ISDA, and ICMA.

COEFS's core products are research outputs rather than commercial technology: research reports, working papers, industry problem statements, stakeholder reports, opinion pieces, podcasts, videos, masterclasses, and webinars. Its flagship platform is the Directed Risk Research Programme (DRRP), run jointly with the Department of Science and Technology, which connects university researchers to industry-defined problem statements from banks. In 2023 it added the Water Finance Lab as a dedicated vertical for nature- and water-linked finance research. Delivery is via a public website, partner channels, and events; there is no proprietary software platform or licensed data product.

The business model is grant and program-funded, not commercial. Primary funding comes from The Banking Association South Africa and the Department of Science and Technology through the DRRP, with additional collaborative support from Genesis Analytics, Wits University, WEF, IIF, ISDA, and ICMA. COEFS has no disclosed subscription, licensing, or fee-for-service revenue line. Governance is provided by a board that includes former SARB Deputy Governors (notably Kuben Naidoo), senior banking executives, and academic leaders such as Prof. Euvin Naidoo, who received two global awards in 2024. The strategic posture is research-led policy influence rather than commercial monetization.

Name

Centre of Excellence in Financial Services

Legal name

Centre of Excellence in Financial Services

Website

https://coefs.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COEFS is a South African non-profit think tank that produces independent financial services research, working papers, and industry problem statements for banks, regulators, and policymakers, funded primarily by The Banking Association South Africa and the Department of Science and Technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg, Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Industry Funding and Support: COEFS operates as a non-profit think tank funded primarily through The Banking Association South Africa, which provides operational support and funding for research initiatives. Additional funding comes from the Department of Science and Technology through the Directed Risk Research Programme (DRRP), which funds university research partnerships. No commercial revenue-generating activities are identified.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

COEFS is an independent non-profit think tank that produces and disseminates research on South African and African financial services, including banking competitiveness, risk management, fintech, trade finance, deposit insurance, AI ethics in banking, quantum computing, and water/ESG finance. Its outputs include research reports, academic working papers, opinion pieces, podcasts, videos, masterclasses, and the Directed Risk Research Programme that connects financial-sector problem statements with university researchers.

Product overview

The Centre of Excellence in Financial Services (COEFS) operates as a research think tank focused on South African and African financial services, not a traditional product company. The organization offers a portfolio of research outputs including Research Reports covering banking, trade finance, and receivables ecosystems; Working Papers developed through the Directed Risk Research Programme; the Water Finance Lab exploring ESG and nature-related disclosures; Opinion Pieces providing expert commentary; Podcasts & Videos with industry experts; and curated Industry Problem Statements connecting financial institutions with academic researchers. These offerings are distributed freely as publications and do not constitute a commercial software platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Reports Comprehensive research publications covering financial services topics including receivables finance, deposit insurance, African trade (AfCFTA), and banking sector analysis, distributed freely as PDFs to banks, regulators, and the public.
• Working Papers Academic working papers on financial risk modeling, credit risk, operational risk, AI ethics in banking, quantum computing in banking, and financial market analysis developed through the Directed Risk Research Programme and distributed as free PDFs.
• Directed Risk Research Programme (DRRP) Industry-driven research initiative funded by the Department of Science and Technology that connects financial-sector problem statements with university researchers to address risk analytics challenges in the financial sector.
• Water Finance Lab Specialized research initiative exploring water data and nature-related financial disclosures under ESG frameworks, with country-specific focus including South Africa, Mauritius, and Morocco.
• Industry Problem Statements Curated research challenges from financial institutions on topics including AI in risk management, credit risk modeling, climate risk, and fraud detection, connecting industry-defined research needs with academic researchers.
• Stakeholder Reports Annual reports documenting COEFS governance, board activities, strategic direction, and organizational developments, available as free PDF downloads.
• Podcasts & Videos Media content including podcast interviews with financial sector experts (e.g., IIF Deputy Chief Economist) and masterclass recordings on topics like critical minerals, coal transition, AI ethics, and quantum computing in banking.

Quantifiable outcome

• COEFS research has informed South Africa's response to deposit insurance implementation, with published working papers analyzing the Corporation for Public Deposits (CODI) operations.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Banking Association South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2016Primary funding and organizational partner. The Banking Association South Africa initiated the establishment of COEFS following the President's State of the Nation Address announcement in February 2016. Provides ongoing operational funding and strategic direction. COEFS works with the Association on industry research initiatives and board representation.
• Department of Science and Technology (DST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Directed Risk Research Programme (DRRP) which provides funding to universities for risk research in financial services. DST collaborates with COEFS to provide a portal for industry problem statements that direct academic research toward practical financial sector challenges.
• International Institute of Finance (IIF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOEFS hosted Ashok Bhundia, Deputy Chief Economist at IIF, for a round table discussion on emerging global trends including global bond market dynamics, gold as a strategic reserve asset, and South African economic outlook over 1-3 years. Attended by financial sector economists, government representatives, and private sector economists.
• Genesis AnalyticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch consultancy engaged to conduct the study on 'The Impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on the South African Financial Services Market'. Team led by Bavani Naidoo interviewed industry contributors and drafted the research report.
• World Economic ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOEFS references WEF reports including 'The Future of Financial Services' and 'Beyond Fintech' in its research. Engaged with WEF team to investigate reasons behind South Africa's declining competitiveness rankings in the Global Competitiveness Report.
• University of the WitwatersrandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner through board representation. Dr. Chimwemwe Chipeta serves as Full Professor of Corporate Finance, Head of Finance Division, and Director of the Wits Fintech Hub. Represents academic perspective on digital innovation in financial services.
• International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOEFS research on SADC financial market harmonization references ISDA documentation standards as international best practice for swaps and derivatives transactions. ISDA documents serve as a model for legal documentation standardization in the region.
• International Capital Markets Association (ICMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOEFS research on SADC financial market harmonization references ICMA documentation standards as international best practice for bond repurchase transactions. ICMA documents serve as a model for legal documentation standardization across SADC countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Milken Institute: The Milken Institute operates a Financial Innovations Labs and Center for Financial Markets that convenes industry, regulators and academics to produce research-driven outputs on capital markets, banking and fintech—directly analogous to COEFS's industry-funded research model.
• Bank for International Settlements: The BIS is the primary forum for central bank cooperation and produces influential financial stability and banking research; COEFS mirrors its mission at a national/sector level, addressing the same audience (regulators, banks, policymakers) with working papers and reports on systemic risk topics.
• Peterson Institute for International Economics: PIIE is a non-partisan, industry-and-philanthropy-funded research institution producing analysis on international finance, banking regulation and capital markets—parallel in structure to COEFS's non-profit research-and-policy institute model serving the financial services sector.
• Institute of International Finance (IIF): The IIF is the global association of the financial industry, producing research, convening members, and engaging regulators on banking, capital markets and risk—a comparable industry-funded research/policy platform serving major banks (COEFS has hosted IIF's Deputy Chief Economist for a podcast).
• CFA Institute Research Foundation: CFA Institute operates a Research Foundation and publications programme producing practitioner-grade financial research, supported by industry memberships and educational partnerships—closely analogous to COEFS's mission of bridging rigorous research with industry practice in financial services.
• Genesis Analytics: Genesis Analytics is an African-origin consultancy that has been contracted by COEFS to deliver the '4IR in SA Financial Services' report—demonstrating an identical operating model of industry-funded financial-services research with strong academic and policy linkages across Africa.

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum: The WEF's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and financial services initiatives produce flagship reports (e.g., 'The Future of Financial Services', 'Beyond Fintech') that COEFS explicitly cites as research inputs—an established global thought leader on financial services innovation that COEFS references for credibility.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings houses the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy and produces high-impact financial economics research, frequently cited by central banks and regulators—a broader think-tank analogue that COEFS's research-and-policy work is structured to emulate at the South African sector level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-centre-of-excellence-in-financial-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre of Excellence in Financial Services