Recently, the NFO released a new study document titled the Bi-annual Trend Report January – June 2026. The purpose of this report is to bridge the gap between the latest publishing of the 2025 Annual Report and that of the next edition to be released in the next reporting year. The Office aims to make such interim reports standard practice in future.
What follows is Head Ombud Reana Steyn’s overview of this first and fascinating financial dispute resolution report, as well as those of her divisional heads.
2026 has been a year of remarkable operational growth for the NFO, against a backdrop of increasing financial uncertainty on a macro level, and for many South African consumers personally.
The dedication of all NFO team members is reflected in the increased workload they have taken on in the first half of 2026, as compared to the same period in 2025. At the same time, improvements in almost all key performance metrics show that a combination of expertise, efficiency and determination has enabled the NFO to positively impact more lives than ever before.
A Bigger Year – by Almost Every Measure
The NFO has recovered some R220.2 million for complainants during the period January to June 2026. This represents an increase of approximately 65% on 2025, when by the midway point of the year, the amount recovered for complainants was R133.5 million.
This increase reflects several positive trends: the growth in the NFO’s capacity to effect change; in consumer awareness of the existence, role and jurisdiction of the NFO (achieved in part through ongoing marketing efforts, NFO financial literacy programmes, and community outreach initiatives); and a growing need for the services of the NFO as a result of increased exposure to complex products and more sophisticated attempts at fraud.
This growth has vindicated the decision to more closely align South Africa’s financial services Ombud ecosystem with international best practice. Today’s NFO is a consolidated Ombud able to leverage its team’s diverse industry expertise, service ethos and energy in the pursuit of its stated goal of upholding financial fairness.
Operational statistics
With South African financial services consumers now more aware of the fact that they have access to a world-class financial services Ombud, at no cost, the workload of the three NFO divisions has continued its year-on-year growth trend.
Total cases opened in the first six months of 2026 rose to 27,547 – an increase of 20% over the same period in 2025, or an additional 4,671 cases. The number of cases closed rose also, although by a lesser margin: 9% (from 16,915 cases in January – June 2025 to 18,435 closures by the middle of this year).
This difference highlights the NFO’s greatest operational challenge: the widening overall gap between cases opened and closed. The rise was mitigated to an extent by the improvement in average time taken to close cases, from 92 days in the first half of last year to just 80 days in the same period in 2026. This statistic speaks to another way in which the NFO is positively impacting consumers’ lives: in cases where money is recovered for complainants, they are waiting less time to get their money back, or receive compensation.
The last two years have been a time of growth and learning in the face of considerable change, and these trends will likely continue for the foreseeable future. I confidently predict that the NFO team will continue to adapt and evolve by drawing on their unique blend of passion, professionalism and empathy.
Reana Steyn
Head Ombud & Chief Executive Officer
Read more in our BI-Annual Trend Report January – June 2026 →
