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Investing

Offshore investing and the rand

Moving money offshore needs an authorised dealer and the exchange-control allowance that applies to you. This guide does not print a rand allowance.

Reviewed 29 October 2026 by the WiT Money editorial team. This is general information, not a recommendation from a named adviser.

Key points

  • A JSE feeder fund and a foreign brokerage account are different.
  • The allowance amounts change. Confirm them with an authorised dealer.
  • Currency moves can erase the investment return, or add to it. Neither is guaranteed.

Some South African funds hold foreign assets and are priced in rand on the JSE. You buy them like any other local security. A direct offshore investment converts rand through an authorised dealer and holds foreign assets in your name. The exchange-control rules, including the single discretionary allowance and any foreign investment allowance that needs tax clearance, are applied by that dealer.

The investment comparison on this site cites a Reserve Bank circular and notes that a public FAQ may not match it, so no rand allowance is printed there. This guide follows that decision. Do not rely on an old article for the amount you may transfer.

Rand risk

If the rand strengthens, a foreign asset can fall in rand even when its foreign price rose. If the rand weakens, the opposite can happen. That is exchange-rate risk, not a strategy. The offshore currency calculator converts at a rate you type. It is not a live market rate.

Tax

Offshore income and gains can still be taxable in South Africa for a resident. A foreign tax credit may apply. This page does not calculate that. Estate and reporting duties can apply as well. Ask before you treat an offshore account as invisible.

Questions readers ask

Does FSCA authorisation of a local platform approve the foreign product?

No. Authorisation is for specified activities. Read what the licence covers. A foreign product can sit outside it.

Related

Sources

Page updated 29 October 2026. A source date is the day WiT Money checked that page, not a promise the institution has not changed it since.