Former Springbok Bryan Habana Co‑Founder of Paymenow Highlights Fintech Shift

Former South African rugby winger Bryan Habana, a 2007 World Cup winner, addressed an audience at BPC’s innovation event in Cape Town on October 22, describing his transition from sport to fintech.

Habana said he entered the boardroom without basic business skills, recalling,

"I didn’t know how to do a PowerPoint presentation. I didn’t know how to put a table into a spreadsheet or read a budget,"

and noting the humility required when the discipline that propelled him on the field did not automatically translate to entrepreneurship.

In 2019 he co‑founded Paymenow with CEO Deon Nobrega, CTO Willem van Zyl and chief development officer Gerbrand Potgieter. The company offers earned‑wage access, allowing employees to draw a portion of wages already earned before the scheduled payday, a service aimed at reducing reliance on high‑interest short‑term loans.

Merger expands reach

By 2026 Paymenow reported serving more than 750,000 employees across South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Pakistan. In May 2026 the firm announced a merger with PayCurve, a South African financial‑wellness platform. The combined entity will operate under the Paymenow brand, integrating wage‑access services with tools for debt management, savings and financial education. Habana emphasized the strategic intent,

"You’ve also got to stick with your purpose‑driven approach,"

adding that the merger broadens the company’s ability to address both short‑term cash‑flow gaps and longer‑term financial stability.

Habana reiterated the social goal behind the venture,

"We’ve got an audacious goal of wanting to release ten million employees from financial stress through financial technology,"

and highlighted lessons from his sporting career that inform his business approach, such as teamwork, preparation and the need to unlearn old habits,

"We have to unlearn in order to learn,"

he said.

The entrepreneur’s remarks underscore a broader trend of former athletes entering technology sectors, while also reflecting ongoing challenges in South Africa’s labour market where a significant share of workers face financial pressure before payday.

Paymenow’s merger with PayCurve is now complete, and the unified company continues to operate under the Paymenow name, focusing on expanding earned‑wage access and financial‑wellness services across its existing markets.