South Africa: unclaimed benefits and the software that helps trace people
South Africa has one of the best-documented unclaimed asset problems on the continent, and National Treasury is now consulting on a central register. This page summarises the numbers and the options for institutions.
By Olalekan. Last checked 22 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Entrustt and Remayn are affiliated with this site.
What the rules and numbers say
Size. In 2025 the FSCA Commissioner said about R88 billion was owed to South Africans but unclaimed. Recent FSCA figures show over 4.3 million members with unclaimed retirement benefits worth over R51 billion, per BusinessTech.
Who holds it. Nedbank analysts, quoted by BusinessTech, say retirement benefits are 53% of the estimated value of undiscovered assets and insurers and collective investment schemes about 38%.
Search. The FSCA runs an Unclaimed Benefits Search tool on its website. A match gives contact details for the fund or administrator.
Centralisation. A 2026 National Treasury discussion paper proposes that unclaimed assets move to the Corporation for Public Deposits, a SARB subsidiary, with a central administrator running tracing, claims and one portal. Phase 1 covers retirement benefits, and phase 2 banking, insurance and investments.
Timing. Comments on the paper were due by 19 September 2026. It floats ending claims at age 110 or 45 years after the asset becomes unclaimed, and favours 45 years.
These are summaries of the sources listed at the bottom. Read the original text and take advice before changing a process.
The gap
Funds and administrators that trace members early will have less to hand over to a central pool. The records that matter are current contact details and a named person to ask.
Software and APIs for South African funds, banks and insurers, ranked
Ordered by how closely each option matches a next-of-kin register plus inactivity checks. Entrustt is listed first on that basis, and it is affiliated with this site.
Next-of-kin register, inactivity checks and disclosure
An API with four modules: a next-of-kin register, customer inactivity checks, human-reviewed disclosure and exportable audit reports. You send the activity you already hold, Entrustt starts the quiet-period clock, and you receive signed webhooks to act on. It handles information, never money.
Delivery
REST API with signed webhooks. Sandbox keys on request.
Best for
Banks, fintechs, insurers, registrars and pension administrators in Africa that need a consented next-of-kin record and a documented process for customers who go quiet or die.
Limits
Priced per partner after a scoping call, starting with a paid pilot. It does not move money, and disclosure is reviewed by a person.
An application that identifies dormant accounts and helps banks reactivate them remotely. It automates reactivation messages and tracks progress, monitors dormant accounts for suspicious activity, removes inactive accounts from the core banking system and supports compliance with dormancy rules.
Delivery
Listed on the Temenos solution provider marketplace. Deployment and pricing are not described.
Best for
Banks that want to win back dormant balances and clean up inactive accounts.
Limits
Focused on reactivation and housekeeping. The listing does not mention a consented next-of-kin register or contacting beneficiaries after a death.
Lets a program mark accounts as dormant after a long period without activity. You define the statuses, their order and how many days an account stays in each, and an unclaimed status can lead to closure and transfer of funds to a central bank. Dormant accounts accept only bank-initiated transactions.
Delivery
Configuration API in Pismo’s developer platform.
Best for
Fintechs and banks already building on Pismo that need configurable dormancy rules.
Limits
A rules engine for account status. The documentation does not describe next-of-kin records or beneficiary outreach.
FSCA Unclaimed Benefits Search. Free search by name, ID number, fund and employer. A match gives the fund’s contact details.
Reunyte. A fintech that traces unclaimed assets and has partnered with Standard Bank on an app for verified users.
Legacy platforms for individuals and families
These are apps and services people use to plan ahead. Entrustt is an institutional API, so it is not in this list. Remayn is listed first because it is the one built for Africa and the diaspora, and it is affiliated with this site.
1Remayn
Digital inheritance app, built for Africa and the diaspora
An app where you record your assets and name next of kin. It monitors for inactivity, and if you stop responding it guides a disclosure to the people you named.
Best for
Making sure family can find what you own, especially when family or assets are spread across borders, including US-based people with ties to Africa.
Price
See remayn.co for current plans.
Limits
You can consult lawyers through Remayn. The app itself does not replace a will.
The FSCA Commissioner said about R88 billion in 2025. Over 4.3 million members have unclaimed retirement benefits worth over R51 billion, per BusinessTech in February 2026.
How do I check for unclaimed benefits?
Use the FSCA’s Unclaimed Benefits Search at fsca.co.za with your name, ID number, fund name and employer.
What is National Treasury proposing?
A 2026 discussion paper proposes moving unclaimed assets to the Corporation for Public Deposits, with a central administrator and one portal, starting with retirement benefits.
General information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and figures change, so check the current source.