Smart Money – Purple Group CEO Charles Savage unpacks AI and investor trends

In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, Charles Savage unpacks how the financial markets are changing and the risks and opportunities presented by AI.

Savage is the CEO of Purple Group and has worked in finance and management for nearly three decades.

He is also the Founder and CEO of EasyEquities, a Purple Group company, and has held numerous other executive-level positions throughout his career.

He first entered the market in 1997, where he worked as Sales and Marketing Director for Dockside Internet.

In the 30 years that have followed, Savage has developed a keen business sense and has built a reputation for delivering strong results.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Information Systems from the University of Cape Town.

The interview

In this Smart Money interview, Savage explains how investing behaviour is evolving, referencing Purple Group’s latest results as evidence.

He unpacks what has been key to closing the gap between registered users and consistently active users.

Savage then discusses what he considers to be the biggest challenge facing Purple Group in 2026, and how he would rate their structural stability against AI replication.

He also touches on the one area of the South African investment market he believes is being underestimated, as well as the factors underpinning the market.

Savage concludes the interview by discussing what he believes will be the hardest thing to get right in investing over the coming decade.

Watch the interview with Charles Savage below.