Discover how South Africa's Gen Z navigates the credit market with distinct money personalities, as revealed by Sanlam's 2026 Credit Confidence Index.
Ask three different people what they would do with a bit of spare money, and you will get three different answers. People simply don’t relate to money in the same way – and this is especially true for South Africa’s youngest credit-active generation. While Gen Z is often spoken about as a single, homogenous group, these young adults are entering the credit market with different habits and pressures.
Those differences matter – as highlighted by Sanlam’s 2026 Credit Confidence Index. Based on the credit behaviour of 1.1 million users of the Sanlam Credit Solutions platform , the Index reveals how South Africans are managing credit. For example, comparing Gen Z user profiles from early 2025 with April 2026 shows a 37% decline in high-risk individuals, the steepest decline of any generation on the platform.
Credit confidence isn’t a feeling. It is a set of behaviours, and those behaviours look different for different people. We are seeing progress among younger users, but we are also seeing this generation encounter financial pressure earlier than the one before it. The opportunity is to meet young people where they are, with practical information that helps them build on their strengths and manage their blind spots.
