Investec Earns Top Place in Two Independent Awards

Investec Private Bank has received two independent South African service awards in 2026, covering both customer experience and complaint resolution. It was named Overall Winner of the 2026/27 Ask Afrika Orange Index™, after ranking first in Private Banking and achieving the highest customer-experience score among 219 brands across 27 industries. Investec was also named the Category B banking winner at the 2026 National Financial Ombud Scheme Excellence in Dispute Resolution Awards.

In an increasingly complex financial world, clients value more than efficient service. They want relationships built on understanding, trusted advice and the confidence that comes from having the right expertise around them when important decisions need to be made. According to the 2026/27 Ask Afrika Orange Index™, 90% of South Africans said they were satisfied with the service they received, but only 48% said they were delighted.

Against this backdrop, has received two awards acknowledging different aspects of service: clients' everyday experience of the bank and the way concerns are handled when they arise.

Investec Private Bank was named the Overall Winner of the 2026/27 Ask Afrika Orange Index™, after ranking first in the Private Banking category and achieving the highest customer experience score among 219 brands across 27 industries.

It was also named the Category B banking winner at the 2026 National Financial Ombud Scheme Excellence in Dispute Resolution Awards for fair customer treatment and dispute resolution.

Service that strengthens relationships

The awards reflect Investec Private Bank’s focus on understanding clients as individuals and building relationships that extend beyond day-to-day banking needs.

Investec Private Bank builds long-term relationships with clients by taking the time to understand their goals, priorities and circumstances. As clients move through different life stages, pursue new opportunities or face increasingly complex decisions, they benefit from access to specialist expertise across banking, lending, investing and wealth, brought together around their individual needs.

Technology plays a fundamental role in making day-to-day banking simpler, secure and more convenient. But when decisions carry greater complexity or significance, clients continue to value the judgement, experience and personal understanding that come from a trusted relationship.

“Service starts with understanding a client's financial and personal world, what matters to them and what they're trying to achieve,” says Unathi Boniwe, Head of Marketing at Investec Private Bank.

“That understanding helps us respond in a way that is personal and relevant and bring in the right expertise when a client's needs become more complex. Our role is to make it easier for clients to move forward with confidence.”

Why Investec won the Ask Afrika Orange Index 2026/7

The Ask Afrika Orange Index™ is an independently audited customer experience benchmark based on direct feedback from South Africans who have dealt with the brands they assess. The 2026/27 research drew on 54,182 interviews and evaluated 43 measures, including competence, responsiveness, resolution, effort, trust, empathy and whether people felt understood. Investec Private Bank achieved a score of 83.45.

Ask Afrika notes that customers have a wider frame of reference than an organisation's direct competitors: the experience they receive from a private bank shapes what they expect from retailers, insurers, telecommunications providers and healthcare organisations.

“Being named the overall winner matters because the result is grounded in what clients have experienced,” says Boniwe. “In banking, where people entrust us with significant financial decisions, competence and responsiveness matter. So does how clients feel after the interaction.”

What the National Financial Ombud Award measures

The National Financial Ombud Scheme Excellence in Dispute Resolution Award assesses another key measure of service: how organisations respond when a client raises a concern or complaint.

Unlike customer experience awards that reflect day-to-day interactions, the award assesses performance in moments where trust can be most vulnerable. It highlights organisations that demonstrate fair customer treatment through measures such as turnaround times, the quality of customer responses and the fairness of complaint outcomes.

Investec Private Bank was named the Category B banking winner at the 2026 National Financial Ombud Scheme Excellence in Dispute Resolution Awards for its approach to dispute resolution and fair customer treatment.

“Service is tested most clearly when something hasn't gone as expected,” says Boniwe. “Those moments require us to listen carefully, respond fairly and take responsibility for the outcome. These awards cover different aspects of the client experience, but both ultimately come back to trust and how we earn it over time.”