# TymeBank

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/tymebank
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [TymeBank — official](https://www.tymebank.co.za/)

## Overview

**TymeBank** is **Africa's leading digital bank + Africa's newest unicorn**, serving **15+ million customers across South Africa + Philippines (GoTyme)** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [South Africa report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ZA)</sup>. **End-2024 baseline**: **10.7M SA customers + ~150,000 new SA customers monthly**.

**2025 milestone — TymeBank becomes Africa's unicorn + reaches profitability** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- **Tyme Group $250M funding round** at **$1.5 billion valuation** — Africa's newest unicorn.
- **December 2023 — TymeBank's first profitable month** (less than 5 years after Feb 2019 launch — rare digital-bank turnaround speed).
- **2025 — Africa's 8 unicorns** include TymeBank.

**Tyme Group multi-country strategy**:
- **TymeBank (South Africa)**: 10.7M+ SA customers.
- **GoTyme (Philippines)**: Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank / JG Summit) JV; covered Batch 26 context.
- **Vietnam expansion in progress**.

**Tencent + Nubank backed** — distinctive Chinese-tech + LATAM-neobank-leader strategic backing of African digital bank.

## History

**February 2019 — TymeBank launches** <sup>[2][2]</sup> as SA digital bank with retailer-kiosk on-boarding model.

**2019-2024 — Mass SA adoption** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: 10.7M SA customers by end-2024.

**December 2021 — Tencent + CDC Group invest** in TymeBank.

**December 2023 — First profitable month** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: <5 years post-launch.

**2024 — GoTyme Philippines launches** (Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank / JG Summit) JV).

**2025 — Tyme Group $250M at $1.5B valuation = Africa's newest unicorn + 15M+ customers + Top 100 SA Brand** <sup>[3][3], [4][4]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **TymeBank** (Africa Rainbow Capital majority post-launch).

**Major shareholders**:
- **Africa Rainbow Capital (ARC)** (lead majority)
- **Tencent** (Dec 2021 minority strategic investment)
- **CDC Group / British International Investment** (Dec 2021 minority)
- **Nubank** (NYSE: NU; LATAM neobank giant; strategic Tyme Group partner)
- **M&G Catalyst Fund** ($50M 2024)
- **Gokongwei Group** (Filipino conglomerate; GoTyme JV partner)
- **Norrsken22** ($50M)

**Regulators**: **SARB (South African Reserve Bank)** + per-country (BSP Philippines, SBV Vietnam).

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | TymeBank mobile app (iOS + Android) + TymeBank cards + Pick n Pay + Boxer retailer kiosks (distinctive on-boarding model) |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + email + card number + SA ID |
| **SA rail** | **[PayShap QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/payshap-qr)** (SA instant payments) |
| **License** | SARB full-bank license |
| **Sub-products** | TymeBank Account + TymeBank Card + GoalSave (savings) + TymeBank Credit (lending) + GoTyme (PH) + Vietnam expansion |
| **Distinctive on-boarding** | Pick n Pay + Boxer retailer-kiosk in-store account opening (SA unbanked outreach) |

## Users & growth

**End-2024 → 2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **TymeBank SA customers (end-2024)**: 10.7 million
- **Monthly new SA customers**: ~150,000
- **TymeBank + GoTyme combined customers**: 15+ million
- **First profitable month**: December 2023 (<5 years post-launch)
- **Tyme Group 2025 valuation**: $1.5 billion (Africa's newest unicorn)
- **Africa Rainbow Capital lead** + Tencent + Nubank + Gokongwei + M&G Catalyst backed

## Use cases

SA retail digital banking (deposits + cards + lending + savings via GoalSave); Pick n Pay + Boxer retailer-kiosk in-store account opening (SA unbanked outreach); GoTyme Philippines (Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank / JG Summit) JV); Vietnam expansion in progress.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **TymeBank** (Africa Rainbow Capital lead majority).

**Major shareholders + strategic partners**:
- **Africa Rainbow Capital (ARC)** — Patrice Motsepe-led SA investment group
- **Tencent** (Chinese tech mega-investor; Dec 2021)
- **CDC Group / British International Investment**
- **Nubank (NYSE: NU)** — LATAM neobank giant; Tyme Group strategic partner
- **Gokongwei Group** — Filipino conglomerate (GoTyme JV partner)
- **M&G Catalyst Fund + Norrsken22**
- **Retailer partners**: Pick n Pay + Boxer (SA in-store on-boarding kiosks)

**Major SA digital-bank competitors**:
- **Discovery Bank** (Discovery Limited; SA digital-banking incumbent)
- **Capitec Bank** (Capitec; SA banking-disruptor incumbent)
- **Bank Zero** (SA mutual-bank digital model)
- **African Bank Mobile** (African Bank digital arm)

**Regulators**: **SARB + BSP (Philippines) + SBV (Vietnam) + per-country**.

## Fun facts

- **Africa's newest unicorn** — Tyme Group $250M 2025 at $1.5B valuation.
- **December 2023 first profitable month** — less than 5 years post-Feb 2019 launch (rare digital-bank turnaround speed).
- **15M+ customers** across SA + Philippines.
- **Tencent + Nubank + Gokongwei + Africa Rainbow Capital** backed — distinctive cross-continental strategic-investor stack.
- **Pick n Pay + Boxer retailer-kiosk in-store on-boarding** — distinctive SA unbanked-outreach model.
- **GoTyme Philippines** (Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank / JG Summit) JV; covered Batch 26 context).
- **Vietnam expansion in progress**.
- **2025 Top 100 SA Brand**.

## Comparison

| Feature | TymeBank | Discovery Bank (SA digital-banking incumbent rival) | Capitec Bank (SA banking-disruptor incumbent) | [Nubank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/nubank) (LATAM analogous + Tyme Group strategic partner) | GoTyme (PH analogous sister via Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **TymeBank (Africa Rainbow Capital + Tencent + Nubank + Gokongwei + M&G Catalyst + Norrsken22)** | Discovery Bank (Discovery Limited) | Capitec Bank | Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU) | GoTyme Bank (Tyme Group + Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank / JG Summit) JV) |
| Type | **SA digital bank with retailer-kiosk model + multi-country (PH GoTyme + VN expansion)** | SA digital banking + Vitality rewards | SA banking-disruptor incumbent | LATAM neobank giant | PH digital bank (Tyme Group + Gokongwei JV) |
| Country | SA + PH + VN | SA | SA | BR + MX + CO | Philippines |
| Users | **10.7M SA + 15M+ combined (with GoTyme)** | Major SA | 20M+ SA | 100M+ | Major PH (GoTyme) |
| Valuation | **$1.5B (Tyme Group 2025 unicorn)** | Discovery Ltd public | Capitec Bank public | $50B+ | Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank) |
| Distinctive | **Pick n Pay + Boxer retailer-kiosk SA unbanked outreach; Dec 2023 first profitable month (<5 years); Tencent + Nubank + Gokongwei backed; Africa's newest unicorn** | Vitality rewards integration | SA-bank-incumbent banking-disruption | LATAM neobank giant | Gokongwei Group (Robinsons Bank) retail |

## Status

**Active, Africa's leading digital bank + Africa's newest unicorn** <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>:
- **TymeBank (Africa Rainbow Capital lead majority)** since February 2019.
- **10.7M SA customers (end-2024) + 15M+ combined with GoTyme (PH)**.
- **December 2023 first profitable month** (rare <5-year digital-bank turnaround).
- **Tyme Group 2025 $250M funding at $1.5B valuation** = Africa's newest unicorn.
- **Tencent + Nubank + Gokongwei + Africa Rainbow Capital + M&G Catalyst + Norrsken22 backed**.
- **SARB + BSP + SBV regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TymeBank "TymeBank — Wikipedia"
[2]: https://www.tymebank.co.za/newsroom/tymebank-becomes-unicorn/ "TymeBank becomes unicorn + Nubank partnership"
[3]: https://thenextafrica.com/tymebanks-1-5bn-moment-reaches-profitability-and-unicorn-valuation-in-2025/ "TymeBank $1.5B 2025 profitability + unicorn — The Next Africa"
[4]: https://www.tymebank.co.za/newsroom/tymebank-enters-sas-top-100-brands-as-top-brand-to-watch-in-2025/ "TymeBank Top 100 SA Brand 2025"
[za-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ZA

- [1] [TymeBank — Wikipedia][1]
- [2] [TymeBank unicorn + Nubank partnership][2]
- [3] [TymeBank $1.5B 2025 unicorn — The Next Africa][3]
- [4] [TymeBank Top 100 SA Brand 2025][4]
- <sup>[South Africa report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ZA)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/ZA-south-africa.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [tymebank.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/tymebank). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.