Summary (TL:DR)
- Earn 11% in USDT: ALFI offers South African investors a fixed 11.00% annual return denominated in the largest USD stablecoin, USDT, paid out quarterly.
- Institutional-Grade Access: Through asset tokenisation, ALFI allows everyday investors to access a lucrative investment category called private credit — an asset class previously reserved for large institutions and the ultra-wealthy.
- Accessible Entry Point: You can start investing in this Real-World Asset (RWA) with as little as 100 USDT (≈ R1,800) directly on the Altify platform (FSP 53289).
Solving the Hard Currency Dilemma
For years, everyday South African investors have faced a difficult trade-off: accepting the low yields of bank accounts and offshore bonds, or risking the volatility of stocks and crypto just to earn hard currency.
ALFI changes this equation.
What is ALFI?
Launched back in November 2024, ALFI — which stands for Altify Legal Finance Investment — was South Africa’s first tokenised private credit offering. Unlocking access to a lucrative investment category called Private Credit, which was previously reserved for large institutions and the ultra-wealthy.
ALFI is offered by Altify, a Cape Town-based alternative investment platform licensed by the FSCA (FSP 53289) and backed by listed investment firm Sabvest.
More than one year since launching, ALFI continues with its immaculate track record, offering an 11.00% fixed annual return in USDT (the largest USD-backed stablecoin), with interest paid quarterly in arrears.
The ALFI token is what is known as tokenised Real-World Asset (RWA), which is where physical assets (like gold, property or art) or traditional financial instruments (like stocks, bonds or funds) are legally represented as digital tokens on a blockchain.
Tokenising these assets can make them more liquid, transparent, and accessible, allowing for fractional ownership.
This is exactly what Altify achieved with ALFI: enabling investors to redeem their investment with 14 days notice* (subject to market conditions), making investing as easy as shopping online, and lowering the minimum investing amount to just 100 USDT (≈ R1,800).
ALFI Token Investment Highlights
- Attractive Yield: Offering an 11% fixed annual return in USDT.
- Diversification: Uncorrelated with stocks, crypto, SA political outcomes, and property.
- Rand Hedge: USD-linked, so it helps protect against rand weakness.
- Low Entry Point: Similar investments require millions to get started, ALFI requires just 100 USDT (≈ R1,800).
So What Are You Actually Investing In?
The ALFI token provides access to an asset class called private credit, which has been one of the fastest growing investment sectors that you may have never heard of.
Private credit is a form of lending where money is loaned directly to businesses — without going through a bank.
It’s grown in popularity because it often offers better returns than traditional fixed income investments and adds to a portfolio’s diversification, protecting wealth across market conditions.
In most cases, it involves wealthy individuals, funds, or institutions acting like a bank and lending money to businesses in exchange for interest repayments.
ALFI brings this to the South African retail investors.
Each ALFI token is priced at $1.00 and is backed 1:1 by senior-secured USD loans issued by Fenchurch Legal, a leading UK firm founded by litigation finance expert Louisa Klouda.
While the full technical details are available on Altify’s ALFI web page, here is a simplified breakdown of how the investment works:
1. Invest
You purchase ALFI tokens on Altify using USDT. 1 ALFI token is created for each 1 USDT invested.
2. Deploy
Your capital is lent to Fenchurch Legal, who deploys it as loans to vetted UK law firms.
3. Repay
The law firms repay their loans to Fenchurch Legal with interest.
4. Earn
You receive quarterly interest payments in USDT, with your full capital returned at the end of the 2-year term, or sooner if you choose to redeem your token early* (subject to market conditions).
What About the Risks?
All investments carry risk. With ALFI, the main concern is default risk — the possibility that Fenchurch Legal cannot repay investors. Fenchurch Legal lowers this risk by:
- Lending only to vetted UK law firms.
- Focusing on small consumer cases with strong legal precedents.
- Obtaining guarantees from directors of the UK law firms.
- Taking an assignment over the case proceeds.
- Diversifying across over thirty thousand individual consumer cases.
- Ensuring all loans extended are covered by a special kind of insurance policy called ATE insurance.
While this doesn’t remove all risk, it significantly reduces it.
Altify also uses a 1-to-5 risk rating system to help you match your investments to your risk tolerance.
Sean Sanders, CEO of Altify, adds: “We’ve lowered the minimum investment so that more people can access this lucrative investment opportunity. We encourage investors to start small and get comfortable before investing larger amounts.”
Fenchurch Legal have lent out over $59M across 15,000 loans and have been operating since 2018 with no defaults.
This is not a risk-free investment, but it’s also not a high-risk cryptocurrency or tech stock.
Rather it’s a real-world investment product with a stellar track record that has been made accessible through tokenisation, much like BlackRock’s tokenised money market fund, BUIDL.
Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just starting out, ALFI offers a rare opportunity to earn solid USD returns with limited risk and flexible access.
1. Sign Up
Download the Altify Apple app or Android app, or sign-up online.
2. Fund Your Account
Using ZAR and purchasing USDT, or depositing USDT directly.
3. Subscribe to Invest in ALFI
With as little as 100 USDT (the equivalent of ≈R1,700).
4. Earn
ALFI pays interest quarterly and has an investment duration of 2 years. You can apply to redeem your ALFI token early, with a 14 days notice period*, although redemptions cannot be guaranteed and an early redemption fee is charged if approved. The annual management fee charged by Altify is 0.55%.
To learn more and get started, visit www.altify.app.
Important Notes
Investment Amount: Since this is a tokenised investment, a minimum of 100.00 USDT is required. This roughly equates to R1,800 at the time of writing.
* Early Redemption Notice: You can apply to redeem your ALFI tokens before the maturity date with 14 days’ notice. However, redemptions are subject to market conditions and cannot be guaranteed. If your request is approved, a 5% early redemption fee will apply to the total invested amount, including unallocated accrued interest.
Risk Disclosure
Altify SA Capital (Pty) Ltd (FSP 52727) and Altify SA DAS (Pty) Ltd (FSP 53289) are both authorised financial services providers (FSPs).
This article is provided solely for informational purposes. The opinions expressed herein do not constitute investment advice or recommendations, nor should they be regarded as such. This document does not represent an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any of the investments mentioned.
Altify operates as a brokerage service facilitating the reception and transmission of crypto asset orders, without providing investment advice or personalised recommendations. While Altify advocates for the broader accessibility of cryptocurrencies, they may not be suitable for every investor.
It is important to consider your investment goals, experience level, and seek independent financial advice where necessary. Altify strongly recommends conducting comprehensive research before investing in cryptocurrencies.
Investors are solely responsible for their own investment decisions. Considering the high volatility associated with cryptocurrencies, please evaluate your financial circumstances carefully before engaging in transactions. Cryptocurrencies carry a high risk, with potential for both significant gains and losses. Investing in cryptocurrencies may lead to a total loss of capital.
Past performance is not indicative of future results, and returns cannot be guaranteed as cryptocurrency values fluctuate based on market supply and demand. Do not invest more than you can afford to lose and seek professional guidance if you are unsure about the suitability of a cryptocurrency investment for your specific situation.
Please refer to the General Risk Disclosures and Private Credit Risk Disclosures on Altify’s website for more information. Investments should only be undertaken by individuals who fully understand these risks.
