Investec, led by South African executive Fani Titi, ramps up corporate mid-market expansion

Investec Group, the Anglo-South African international banking and wealth management conglomerate led by South African executive Fani Titi, has moved to widen its reach in South Africa and the U.K. by strengthening its services for corporate mid-market clients. 

The shift marks an effort to bring a full-service offering to businesses that sit between small companies and large corporates—an area the bank says remains underserved in both markets.

Expanding services for mid-market clients 

The group already works with select mid-market companies through its treasury, working-capital and event-driven solutions. The new strategy builds on that base by pairing Investec’s private-client culture with deeper transactional, lending and advisory support. 

“Our strategy is to strengthen and scale our mid-market offering to deliver greater value for clients and improved returns for shareholders,” Titi said. The bank expects the effort to support an improvement of at least 200 basis points in group return on equity by fiscal 2030. 

In South Africa, Investec has formed a dedicated division focused on companies with annual turnover between R30 million ($1.7 million) and R1.5 billion ($86.4 million). The bank aims to more than double profit from this segment by 2030 and reach about 10,000 active client relationships, supported by revenue of roughly R3.8 billion ($218.9 million). 

Nick Riley, who heads the division, said the bank wants to “deepen relationships, deliver sharper solutions and act with greater agility” as South Africa’s mid-market businesses continue to expand and hire.

U.K. build-out targets 60,000 companies 

In the U.K., Investec Bank plc plans to increase investment in transactional banking, add relationship managers and upgrade its digital platforms. The bank hopes to serve a larger share of the roughly 60,000 mid-market companies in the country and reach 1,000 relationship-banking clients by 2030. 

“Our U.K. business has delivered strong growth by focusing on areas where our entrepreneurial approach creates real value,” said Andy Hart, head of corporate banking. “We see a clear opportunity to extend that.” 

The expansion fits into Investec’s “One Investec” approach, which brings together its teams across markets to deliver integrated client solutions. Titi said the refreshed strategy positions the bank as “a trusted partner to businesses with long-term ambitions.” 

Investec strategy and recent developments

Founded in Johannesburg in 1974, Investec employs around 7,400 people and is listed in London and Johannesburg. Under CEO Fani Titi, for the six months ended Sept. 30, 2025, revenue slipped 0.6 percent to £1.096 billion from £1.102 billion a year earlier. 

Recently, Pepkor and Investec said they are in talks about a zero-fee banking service aimed at millions of lower-income South Africans.  In September, Investec increased its stake in Swiss advisory firm Capitalmind AG to a majority holding and rebranded the unit under the Investec name.