Altron – executive interview

In this interview, Johan Gellatly, managing director of Altron FinTech, provides an overview of the business and discusses the key trends in the South African payments market, including the South African Reserve Bank’s plans for the national payments system. With the majority of the division’s revenue generated from the microlending market, Johan describes how Altron FinTech serves this market and how he expects the market to evolve. Reflecting on the shift from upfront purchase to a rental model for payment hardware, he explains how this is enabling the company to provide additional services to its customers. Finally, he discusses his views on the main growth drivers for the business, with support for financial and digital inclusion, a key goal for the company.

Altron FinTech is a subsidiary of Altron (JSE: AEL), a provider of platforms and IT services predominantly to the South African market. For over 30 years, Altron FinTech has simplified payment, credit management and payment device hardware solutions for businesses in South Africa. It is a high-margin business, reporting an operating margin of 26% in FY24, and generates a high level of annuity revenues (74%). In FY24, the division generated 11% of group revenue and 36% of group operating profit.