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NowClarity by Investec: An Independent Review

For South-African investors who already bank with Investec, the launch of NowClarity promised a single sign-on gateway to cash accounts, JSE equities, international shares, CFDs, options and margin funding. After twelve months in open release, however, user sentiment is sharply divided. Below is an objective look at the strengths, pain-points, costs and practical considerations that surface most often in real-world feedback.

• One ecosystem – log in with an existing Investec ID and move money instantly between your private-bank current account and the trading wallet.

• Multi-asset access – South-African and ­US equities, exchange-traded funds, listed options and geared products.

• Fractional investing – buy “lots” (the app’s term for fractional slices) from R50 rather than whole board-lots.

• Integrated research – delayed JSE quotes, Morningstar fact-sheets and a margin-calculator for leveraged trades.

On paper the value proposition is attractive, especially for clients who have grown tired of shuffling funds between EasyEquities, Interactive Brokers and their primary bank. In practice the delivery is mixed.

Steep learning curve

Multiple reviewers describe the layout as “non-intuitive” and “full of hidden loops.” Simple tasks—such as switching from one account profile to another—require exiting the Transfers tab, navigating to Settings and re-selecting the funding source before starting again. This clunky route feels dated beside the swipe-first journeys of EasyEquities or FNB Shares Zero.

Broken biometrics

iOS users report an infinite redirect when enabling Face ID via the e-mail deep link. The workaround is to disable biometrics entirely and revert to password/PIN entry—hardly ideal for an app that markets itself as premium.

Input glitches

Several traders highlight that the Buy by Amount field rejects valid monetary values and forces the Buy by Lots option instead. The bug is intermittent but still live in version 1.5.3. A trading platform that mis-reads order size is more than an inconvenience—it is a compliance risk.

Seasoned traders will appreciate the ability to finance positions via their Investec overdraft or Call Account at preferential rates. Beginners, however, may be overwhelmed: there is no guided-learning hub, paper-trade mode or in-app chat to walk through first orders.

The criticism that appears most frequently is technical instability:

• Login loops – “stuck on the loading spinner after Face ID.”

• Timeouts under load – fundraising IPOs (e.g., Prosek Court issue) crashed the order gateway moments after launch.

• Portfolio refresh lag – positions sometimes show as zero until the user force-quits and reopens.

Investec’s digital team has released four patches since January, yet core pain-points persist. Competing brokers with similar feature sets rarely suffer this frequency of basic access failures.

Phone support is routed through Investec’s general banking help-line. While agents are polite, their scripts frequently refer trading-specific queries to an e-mail queue, leading to 24- to 48-hour delays. Live chat is planned but not implemented.

NowClarity inherits Investec’s strong-bank heritage: TLS 1.3 encryption, soft token on a second device, biometric optionality and FSCA regulation under the bank’s licence. The only security complaint raised to date involves usability (biometric loops), not data compromise.

Pros

• Seamless money transfers for existing Investec clients.

• Competitive brokerage and built-in access to margin and options—features absent on most local low-cost apps.

• Fractional “lots” lower the entry barrier for blue-chip U.S. stocks.

• Single tax report consolidates banking interest and trading P/L.

Cons

• Frequent bugs and crashes during login, funding and IPO launches.

• Cluttered navigation; essential actions buried two or three taps deep.

• No live level-2 quotes or sophisticated order types.

• Support relies on slow e-mail tickets; no real-time chat.

• Currently limited to South Africa and the U.S.; EU equities promised but missing.

Choose it if you already hold an Investec Private Bank or One-Fee Account, need margin capability and value the convenience of instant internal transfers over absolute rock-bottom costs.

Avoid it if you are a new investor seeking hand-holding, a day-trader who requires low-latency execution, or anyone intolerant of app glitches. Until the development team addresses stability and UX, EasyEquities or Shyft Shares remain smoother for buy-and-hold strategies, while IG or Interactive Brokers offer richer tool-sets for active traders.

Investec’s product deck lists the following milestones for 2025:

• Revamped dashboard with customizable widgets.

• Biometric fix across iOS/Android and a persistent web terminal.

• European equity rollout plus live streaming quotes.

• In-app chat staffed by licensed representatives.

If delivered, these updates could transform NowClarity from “frustrating potential” to a formidable all-in-one platform. As of Q2 2025, though, the app feels like a beta—powerful under the hood but marred by unfinished surfaces.

Bottom line

NowClarity scores high on product breadth and banking integration but low on execution polish. Existing Investec clients who can tolerate teething pains may appreciate its convenience; everyone else will likely stick with platforms that are already stable.