EasyRetire Named Top 3 at IRFA 2026 Innovation Awards

In Short

EasyRetire was named one of the Top 3 entries in the Innovation category at the 2026 Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA) Awards.

What Happened

EasyRetire, the retirement business under EasyEquities, was recognised on September 8, 2026 as one of the Top 3 finalists in the Innovation category at the IRFA Awards.

The recognition came through IRFA’s “New Normal Challenge”. The challenge asked retirement funds and administrators to show how they are adapting to change and improving how they communicate with members.

EasyRetire’s entry focused on digital member support tied to South Africa’s Two-Pot Retirement System. Two-Pot is a rule change that splits retirement savings into different “pots”, with different access rules. It is meant to balance short-term access with long-term preservation.

According to the company, its approach leaned more toward education than announcements. That included plain-language digital content, in-portal guidance, automated updates, and support channels. The platform was also adjusted based on common member questions and observed behaviour.

EasyRetire says that across the first three tax years after Two-Pot’s introduction, member preservation rates rose from 58.4% to 81.4%. It also reported lower exposure to disinvestment, meaning fewer members moved money out of investments in a way that could harm long-term outcomes.

Why It Matters

Retirement administration is often seen as back-office work, but it shapes everyday financial decisions at scale. South Africa’s retirement industry manages about R6 trillion in assets, so small shifts in member behaviour can add up.

For operators and product teams, the EasyRetire result is a signal that member engagement tools can be measured on outcomes, not just app usage. For funds and administrators, it points to a practical way to handle regulatory change, by combining clear explanations with decision support inside the member portal.

EasyRetire said the award will feed into ongoing platform development, including clearer visibility into savings, better projections of future outcomes, and simpler ways for members to act.