Discover how South Africa's Gen Z navigates the credit market with distinct money personalities, as revealed by Sanlam's 2026 Credit Confidence Index.
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Ask three different people what they would do with a bit of spare money, and you will get three different answers. People simply don’t relate to money in the same way – and this is especially true for South Africa’s youngest credit-active generation. While Gen Z is often spoken about as a single, homogenous group, these young adults are entering the credit market with different habits and pressures.
Those differences matter – as highlighted by Sanlam’s 2026 Credit Confidence Index. Based on the credit behaviour of 1.1 million users of the Sanlam Credit Solutions platform , the Index reveals how South Africans are managing credit. For example, comparing Gen Z user profiles from early 2025 with April 2026 shows a 37% decline in high-risk individuals, the steepest decline of any generation on the platform.
Credit confidence isn’t a feeling. It is a set of behaviours, and those behaviours look different for different people. We are seeing progress among younger users, but we are also seeing this generation encounter financial pressure earlier than the one before it. The opportunity is to meet young people where they are, with practical information that helps them build on their strengths and manage their blind spots.
This plays out differently across Money Personalities. Here are three money personalities that show up strongly among young South Africans who are now entering the credit market.
The prepared protector
Three months into their first job, the prepared protector’s first credit product is not a credit card. Like many new-to-credit South Africans, they start with a clothing account, managing it carefully, making small, planned purchases, paying on time and using the account to build a credit record rather than to stretch their salary.
They check their credit report regularly enough to know what’s on it, but not so often that it becomes a source of stress. Discipline is the Prepared Protector’s strength, and it’s reflected in the way they approach credit.
The prepared protector’s behaviour is reflected in the Index, which shows that Gen Z logins rose from 5.65% to 8.53% over the period, while credit-report guidance is one of the most common reasons young users engage. This suggests that many younger South Africans are beginning to pay attention to their credit profiles.
The spontaneous buyer
Most of the spontaneous uyer’s credit is driven by in-app checkouts – whether it’s a pair of sneakers split over three payments or a last-minute purchase that feels manageable because the instalments look small. Buy-now-pay-later options are growing quickly in South Africa and are especially appealing to younger consumers because they are fast, convenient and flexible.
But that flexibility is also where the risk lies. The spontaneous buyer does not always see how several small commitments can add up. Three or four ‘small’ instalment plans running at once can quickly stop feeling small. Because they do not always look or feel like traditional debt, they can be easy to lose track of. One of the most useful habits for the spontaneous buyer is bringing scattered commitments into one clear view. That is where actively checking and understanding your credit profile becomes important.
The generous guardian
This money personality type earns a steady salary, but stretches across many more lives than just their own. They help a parent, contribute to a younger sibling’s school fees and step in whenever there is a family emergency. As a Generous Guardian, their instinct to provide is a strength that their family may depend on. But Sanlam’s 2026 Credit Confidence Index also shows why self-sacrifice needs boundaries.
Generous guardians often put others first, sometimes at the expense of their own financial health. It’s so common for young earners to carry family expectations, and that’s a major contributor to why some members of this generation are experiencing financial stress earlier.
The 2026 Sanlam Credit Confidence Index also shows what recovery can look like when people receive structured support. Among users who entered debt counselling before January 2025, very-low-risk users increased by 18.5%, while high-risk classifications declined by 32.73%. A Generous guardian choosing to protect their own financial health is not selfish. It’s what could allow them to keep supporting people who rely on them.
Different personalities, same opportunities
Behaviour – and not just income – is what truly separates money personalities. And they can build even healthier credit habits with access to more information that helps them navigate financial pressure.
Sanlam’s 2026 Credit Confidence Index suggests that some young users are beginning to see credit as a tool for long-term goals rather than only for short-term spending. Gen Z home-loan uptake on the Sanlam Credit Solutions platform increased by 41.2%, indicating that this generation is starting to focus on long-term wealth creation.
We want the Index to help a 23-year-old see what’s impacting their score, what their borrowing is actually costing them, and how they can build a stronger foundation for their future. Understanding how you handle money is the first step towards gaining credit confidence.
* Darko is the business head of Sanlam Credit Solutions.
PERSONAL FINANCE