We’re proud to have SimplyBiz by Nedbank featured as a G20 case study, recognising the platform’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and driving meaningful small business impact across South Africa through practical support, market access, education, and growth opportunities.
SimplyBiz by Nedbank: Significant Impact
Organisation Name: Nedbank Limited
Country/Region: South Africa
Type of Institution: Financial Institution
Nedbank’s SimplyBiz® is a free business development platform created to empower entrepreneurs across South Africa — whether they bank with Nedbank or not. It offers a comprehensive range of non-financial services, including business life-stage coaching, training, financial literacy tools, mentorship, specialist advisory, networking opportunities, and market access.
Entrepreneurs also benefit from ready-to-use business resources such as templates, advertising, multimedia and multilingual guides. In addition, the platform provides access to both traditional and alternative funding solutions, helping entrepreneurs assess the most suitable options and prepare to become funding ready.
Although SimplyBiz® operates as a B2B environment — positioned “For Business Owners, By Business Owners” — its commercialisation activities actively connect small businesses with consumers to drive market access, marketing support, and consumer engagement through the call to action:
“Support Small Business, with your heart, feet & wallet.”
Deeply rooted in Nedbank’s Banking and Beyond® small business client value proposition since 2010, SimplyBiz® addresses the high closure and dormancy rates of small businesses by bridging two critical gaps: the lack of accessible, practical support for entrepreneurs, and the pressing need for high-touch relationship banking.
Guided by Nedbank’s purpose — to use financial expertise to do good for society, businesses, and individuals — SimplyBiz® extends beyond its digital platform through Nedbank’s regional network, activating commercialisation on the ground. This demonstrates the commitment to the relationship banking model:
“Digital when you want it, Human when you need it.”
SimplyBiz SA® (2010) & Banking and Beyond® (2012) are not just phrases, but Nedbank’s registered properties that embody a long-term strategic commitment to reducing small business failure — anchored in client value proposition, consistently executed, and agile enough to adapt to evolving market dynamics.
Key Offerings
A one-stop-shop comprised of six key pillars, namely a community, business directory, business solutions, marketplace, funding, and an academy, which includes:
The SimplyBiz Academy:
Self-learning and guided-learning resources, masterclasses, and one-on-one coaching for business skills at various stages of growth, needs, or trends.
Templates, Articles, Podcasts:
Including isiZulu, Sesotho, English, and Afrikaans podcasts and videos covering the journey from startup to scale-up.
The SimplyBiz Marketplace and Directory:
Businesses can advertise services, request quotes, connect with peers, generate leads, and access suppliers — all free.
Actionable Toolkits:
Such as the “Trading in Africa Toolkit” to support expansion into African markets, demystifying compliance, market entry, and strategic planning.
Competitions and Grants:
The Business Goals programme offers SMEs coaching, opportunities, and awards (e.g. R25 000 funding, advertising, mentoring).
Crowdfunding Initiative:
“BackaBusiness” in collaboration with Thundafund, helping SMEs access immediate support during disruptions like COVID-19 lockdowns.
In-person Outreach:
Through Kasi Business Workshops in partnership with Township Entrepreneurs Alliance, offering hands-on mentorship, masterclasses, and networking across townships.
Target Groups
Business owners across the spectrum from ideation, startup, growing to well-established with an annual turnover under R30 million, including women, youth, rural entrepreneurs, informal and township-based SMMEs.
Nedbank also encourages internal entrepreneurship, offering a Future.me programme for Nedbank employees through SimplyBiz.
Strategic Entry Point
Pre-financing and post-funding — building businesses with the encouragement of formal banking and registration to get lending ready.
Coaching programmes coupled with grant funding and spend, impact monitoring.
Delivery Model
Hybrid — digital platform with webinars, toolkits, templates, and marketplaces; complemented by in-person workshops and exhibitions.
Sector
Micro, home industry enterprises, and small-medium enterprises with turnover up to R30 million per annum.
Partners
Multiple local and international, public and private sector partners, including:
- Raizcorp
- Silver Lining
- Young African Entrepreneurs Institute
- Township Entrepreneurs Alliance
- Thundafund
- In Africa On Africa
- Henley Business School of Africa
- Business Owners & Specialists
- Be Your Legacy
SimplyBiz actively utilises business owners at all life stages to deliver thought leadership and specialist support to members.
Cost of Delivery
The platform is free for SMEs and funded by Nedbank.
Direct spend averages approximately R5 million per annum, excluding group-wide initiatives impacting SMEs through:
- Enterprise Development
- Corporate Social Investment
- Supplier Development
Investment in supporting over 132,000 SMEs via SimplyBiz, workshops reaching 48,000 township SMMEs, and tangible always-on sponsorships indicate meaningful scale and commitment.
Results and Outcomes
Nedbank actively measures and reports on SimplyBiz’s impact.
Today, the platform supports more than 132,000 SMMEs nationwide and drives a wide range of commercialisation initiatives reaching entrepreneurs across all life stages.
This includes:
- Township outreach programmes impacting over 48,000 SMMEs through Kasi Workshops
- POS sponsorships for approximately 180 township and local market vendors
- Supplier opportunities for more than 200 black youth-owned and small business service providers
These initiatives not only expand access to non-financial services but also strengthen business networks, enhance market access, and improve readiness for finance.
From the outset, the platform was designed to deliver meaningful, accessible development support and build a critical mass of entrepreneurs with broad, tangible impact.
Over time, SimplyBiz has also become a driver of deeper client value — boosting retention, curbing attrition, and enhancing loyalty.
It has contributed to stronger uptake of both financial and non-financial services while simultaneously reducing inactive, dormant, and closed business accounts across the bank.
Success Factors
Inclusive reach:
Extending support beyond Nedbank’s client base to serve SMMEs across the spectrum — including informal traders, township entrepreneurs, and businesses at different stages of growth — fostering stronger communities and networks.
Localized content delivery:
Podcasts, toolkits, and materials produced in multiple South African languages to ensure accessibility and educational relevance.
Holistic offering:
A bundled ecosystem of business tools, mentorship, digital APIs, and competitions integrated with traditional financial products to educate, empower, and deliver tangible value.
Public-private partnerships:
Diverse, active collaborations with organisations such as Thundafund, Township Entrepreneurs Alliance, In Africa On Africa, Henley Business School, and Business Owners & Specialists to scale impact and credibility.
Multi-channel delivery:
A seamless blend of digital resources, in-person workshops, exhibition spaces, and one-on-one coaching programmes — meeting entrepreneurs where they are.
Targeted programmes:
Customised initiatives designed around insights from continuous member surveys and proactive responses to topical economic and business trends.
Practical focus:
Toolkits such as Trading in Africa that address real-world challenges with actionable guidance for cross-border business growth.
Dedicated team:
An agile, commercially focused unit within Nedbank Personal & Private Wealth (Strategy, Insights and CVP) with a standalone budget and direct stakeholder access — ensuring swift decision-making and consistent “always-on” execution of the Beyond Banking® strategy.
Strong internal support:
Backed by technical, commercialisation, regional relationship-banking and cross-cluster collaboration teams to ensure robust build, scale, and delivery.
Balanced alignment with the mother brand:
A trusted, social-media-style business development environment that curates diverse content and resources while making clear that the platform is powered by Nedbank, not as financial advice, but as a conduit of opportunity and practical support for business owners.
Challenges
- Developing and maintaining a social media-style business development platform within a transactional banking environment introduces speed-to-market and security complexities.
- Scaling and sustaining high-quality non-financial support across diverse, often informal business sectors poses logistical and cost pressures.
- Digital access gaps and ensuring measurable impact for each SME remain ongoing challenges.
- Readily available business development support can lead to repeat beneficiaries cycling through multiple programmes without translating into sustainable growth that unlocks traditional funding opportunities.
Mitigation:
Nedbank addresses these challenges through hybrid technical and commercialisation delivery models, strategic partnerships, regional workshops, vernacular toolkits, competitions, and one-on-one support initiatives.
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