Smart Money – Cogence CEO Jonel Matthee-Ferreira on the company’s 2026 investment outlook and the AI bubble

In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, Cogence CEO Jonel Matthee-Ferreira unpacks the company’s new offerings and discusses the AI bubble.

Matthee-Ferreira assumed the role at the start of 2024. In this position, she leads a talented team that has built Cogence from the ground up, expanding its presence across trusted asset managers and investment houses in South Africa.

This is thanks to her being a veteran of the finance industry with nearly twenty years of experience in senior management roles focused on asset management.

During this time, she worked at top South African multi-managers, beginning at Plexus Asset Management as a Portfolio Manager.

Following this, she served as the Head of ABSA Multi-Management, and under her leadership, the business grew significantly, increasing assets under management from R5 billion to over R60 billion.

Matthee-Ferreira also worked as the Chief Investment Officer at Metropolitan Multi-Managers, where she oversaw investment consulting for around 20 local Fund of Funds and Rand-denominated international Fund of Funds.

She holds an MBA in Financial Management from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium, and a BComm Honours in Business Management, which she achieved with distinction, from the University of Stellenbosch.

Matthee-Ferreira has also completed an Advanced Management Program (AMP) from IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The interview

In this Smart Money interview, Matthee-Ferreira explains why AI is being considered a mega-force in global markets and why she doesn’t think it’s overvalued or in a bubble.

Matthee-Ferreira then highlights the divergence of global monetary policies and shares her expectations for South Africa’s economic outlook.

She also explains why Cogence recently expanded access to global private-market opportunities for retail investors, underscoring the launch of the Cogence Diversified Markets Portfolio and the Cogence Global Diversified Markets Portfolio as a part of this.

Matthee-Ferreira concludes the interview by noting how the new offering has been launched in association with BlackRock and emphasises the significance of this partnership.

Watch the interview with Jonel Matthee-Ferreira below.