Key Takeaways
- • South Africa's investment industry achieved a customer experience score of 76.7 out of 100 in the inaugural University of Pretoria Customer Experience Index, exceeding the international benchmark of 75, while life insurance scored 74.3.
- • Allan Gray led investment providers with a score of 80 out of 100; Discovery Invest and Old Mutual tied for second place, with Liberty Invest, Momentum Wealth, and Sanlam Wealth sharing third place with statistically insignificant differences.
- • The investment industry recorded a Quality of Experience score of 81.9 versus a Value of Experience score of 75.2, revealing a 6.7-point gap that signals customers perceive strong service quality but question the value proposition relative to cost.
- • The investment benchmark drew from 1,494 consumer interviews conducted between January and May 2026, while the life insurance benchmark was based on 3,436 interviews from August 2025 through April 2026.
- • The CE Index measures end-to-end customer experience across quality, perceived value, problem resolution, satisfaction, loyalty, expectations, and emotional response—a methodology expanded to include investment services following subscriber demand and industry overlap with life insurance operations.
Summary
The University of Pretoria Customer Experience Index introduced its inaugural investment benchmark on July 20, 2026, marking the first comprehensive measurement of customer experience across South Africa's investment industry. The investment sector achieved an overall score of 76.7 out of 100, exceeding the international CE Index benchmark of 75, while the concurrent life insurance benchmark scored 74.3, positioned slightly below the comparative standard.
Allan Gray captured the highest individual score among investment providers at 80 out of 100. Discovery Invest and Old Mutual shared second place, followed by a three-way tie for third between Liberty Invest, Momentum Wealth, and Sanlam Wealth. According to the index methodology, these shared placings reflected performance differences that were not statistically significant.
The data reveals a notable structural challenge within the investment industry: a 6.7-point disparity between Quality of Experience (81.9) and Value of Experience (75.2). This gap indicates that while customers report positive interactions with service providers and perceive high-quality service delivery, they simultaneously question whether the value received justifies costs or meets expectations relative to alternatives. The industry recorded a Satisfaction score of 78.1 and Loyalty score of 76.6, both respectable but indicating room for improvement in converting positive experiences into long-term customer retention.
According to Professor Adré Schreuder, head of the Industry Chair in Customer Experience at the University of Pretoria, the investment benchmark was added to the index following subscriber requests and due to significant operational overlap between companies operating in both investment and life insurance sectors. The inaugural investment benchmark drew from 1,494 consumer interviews conducted between January and May 2026, while the life insurance component was based on 3,436 interviews conducted between August 2025 and April 2026. The CE Index measures end-to-end customer experience across seven dimensions: quality of experience, perceived value, problem resolution, satisfaction, loyalty, expectations, and emotional response.
Allan Gray captured the highest individual score among investment providers at 80 out of 100. Discovery Invest and Old Mutual shared second place, followed by a three-way tie for third between Liberty Invest, Momentum Wealth, and Sanlam Wealth. According to the index methodology, these shared placings reflected performance differences that were not statistically significant.
The data reveals a notable structural challenge within the investment industry: a 6.7-point disparity between Quality of Experience (81.9) and Value of Experience (75.2). This gap indicates that while customers report positive interactions with service providers and perceive high-quality service delivery, they simultaneously question whether the value received justifies costs or meets expectations relative to alternatives. The industry recorded a Satisfaction score of 78.1 and Loyalty score of 76.6, both respectable but indicating room for improvement in converting positive experiences into long-term customer retention.
According to Professor Adré Schreuder, head of the Industry Chair in Customer Experience at the University of Pretoria, the investment benchmark was added to the index following subscriber requests and due to significant operational overlap between companies operating in both investment and life insurance sectors. The inaugural investment benchmark drew from 1,494 consumer interviews conducted between January and May 2026, while the life insurance component was based on 3,436 interviews conducted between August 2025 and April 2026. The CE Index measures end-to-end customer experience across seven dimensions: quality of experience, perceived value, problem resolution, satisfaction, loyalty, expectations, and emotional response.
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