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It's About Tyme: Banking Beyond Borders
Imagine starting with a bold mission in 2012: to achieve financial inclusion through a multi-country bank. Within a decade, this vision becomes one of the fastest-growing fintechs in the world.
Now, picture starting this business in South Africa, a country the IMF ranked as the hardest place to do business out of 49 countries surveyed. Imagine having the foresight to partner with a family-owned food retailer to establish a low-cost, physical banking footprint. Such success didn’t go unnoticed and one of the world’s largest banks acquired the company. A clash of cultures followed and, just four years later, the divestment. Despite the risks, one of South Africa’s wealthiest entrepreneurs stepped in to take control. Then came Covid-19. The business nearly hit the wall and shareholders demanded a successor of their choosing be trained. A frantic 217 pitches for fresh capital yielded no success. And then, at the eleventh hour, there was a reprieve as one investor and then another stepped up.
Now, imagine launching in the Philippines, replicating and improving what works while designing an entirely new cloud-based banking stack with over 500 Vietnamese developers. Imagine assembling a team from Italy, the US, the UK, South Africa, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, India and Zimbabwe. Picture shaping a culture where failure is part of growth, and audacity is the norm, not the exception. Imagine becoming the global poster child for AI in banking and receiving an email in June 2025, informing you that your company is one of Time magazine’s Top 100 most influential companies in the world. This incredible story unfolds within the pages of It’s About Tyme. As Roger Grobler, a long-standing investor in Tyme puts it, ‘Courage and audacity are not just bold strategies – they’re the safest. Because playing it safe is, ironically, the riskiest thing you can do.
Now, picture starting this business in South Africa, a country the IMF ranked as the hardest place to do business out of 49 countries surveyed. Imagine having the foresight to partner with a family-owned food retailer to establish a low-cost, physical banking footprint. Such success didn’t go unnoticed and one of the world’s largest banks acquired the company. A clash of cultures followed and, just four years later, the divestment. Despite the risks, one of South Africa’s wealthiest entrepreneurs stepped in to take control. Then came Covid-19. The business nearly hit the wall and shareholders demanded a successor of their choosing be trained. A frantic 217 pitches for fresh capital yielded no success. And then, at the eleventh hour, there was a reprieve as one investor and then another stepped up.
Now, imagine launching in the Philippines, replicating and improving what works while designing an entirely new cloud-based banking stack with over 500 Vietnamese developers. Imagine assembling a team from Italy, the US, the UK, South Africa, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, India and Zimbabwe. Picture shaping a culture where failure is part of growth, and audacity is the norm, not the exception. Imagine becoming the global poster child for AI in banking and receiving an email in June 2025, informing you that your company is one of Time magazine’s Top 100 most influential companies in the world. This incredible story unfolds within the pages of It’s About Tyme. As Roger Grobler, a long-standing investor in Tyme puts it, ‘Courage and audacity are not just bold strategies – they’re the safest. Because playing it safe is, ironically, the riskiest thing you can do.
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Published November 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 16, 2025
Fascinating story on the road to building a bank and how a South African bank landed up operating in the Philippines. So many lessons in business, technology, intent and culture to mention a few. Was thoroughly enjoyable and easy to get through.
November 28, 2025
Enjoyed reading the early History of this amazing company !
November 23, 2025
It’s About Tyme tells the improbable story of how a digital bank born in South Africa grew into a global financial platform across three continents. As one of the authors, I wanted this book to do more than tell a business story. It’s about the people, the purpose, and the persistence behind building something that reimagines banking for ordinary people.
Through interviews, inside stories, and analysis, we trace Tyme’s journey from a scrappy startup to a cross-border digital pioneer. The book explores not only what happened, but why it happened , highlighting the strategic choices, the failures that taught the biggest lessons, and the quiet moments of courage that shaped its success.
If you’re interested in how technology, finance, and tenacity collide to change lives, this book is for you.
— Adrian Saville
Through interviews, inside stories, and analysis, we trace Tyme’s journey from a scrappy startup to a cross-border digital pioneer. The book explores not only what happened, but why it happened , highlighting the strategic choices, the failures that taught the biggest lessons, and the quiet moments of courage that shaped its success.
If you’re interested in how technology, finance, and tenacity collide to change lives, this book is for you.
— Adrian Saville
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews