Major International Companies That Left South Africa in 2025

A bunch of major international companies that left South Africa in 2025 made headlines across finance, consulting, mining, data analytics, and other professional services. These international companies that left South Africa in 2025 either fully pulled out or basically shut down their local operations that year. Reasons varied, some chased global strategies, others dealt with bad reps or smart money moves, but the trend hit hard.

The companies are:

IG Group

Bain & Co.

Nielsen

Anglo American

HSBC Private Bank

Jubilee

Norton Rose Fulbright

IG Group’s Early Move

One of the first big ones was IG Group, a London-based online trading outfit that broke the news in June about closing its South African shop. Started back in 1974 and worth around £3.9 billion, IG focuses on spread betting and contracts for difference, letting folks bet on asset prices without actually owning them. They’d been in South Africa since 2010 via IG Markets South Africa, regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority.

In emails to clients, IG said they’d stop rand-based trading accounts and wrap up open positions by July 28, giving everyone 60 days to sort things out. Offshore accounts could stay open, but this spelled the end for their local onshore setup.

Bain’s Tough Goodbye

Then came Bain & Company, the big-name management consultancy that confirmed it was shutting its South African consulting work. Bain’s been battling reputational hits for years after the State Capture Commission dug into their role with the South African Revenue Service under the Zuma era.

They got tangled in SARS restructuring deals that many saw as gutting the taxman’s muscle. Bain owned up to “mistakes” from 2014-2017 but said they never meant to sabotage it. Even after a 2022 government ban and efforts to bounce back, they chose to exit the market completely.

Nielsen Steps Away

Come September, Nielsen, the global media analytics and data powerhouse founded in 1923, gave notice it’d leave South Africa in 12 months after some internal review. With ops in over 100 countries and 30,000-plus staff worldwide, they’d been key for audience metrics there.

In South Africa, Nielsen fed data to the Broadcast Research Council’s TV and radio surveys. They told staff and the BRC, kicking off a handover to find a new measurer for the industry.

Mining Shake-Up with Anglo American

The mining world felt a jolt when Anglo American offloaded its last shares in Valterra Platinum (ex-Anglo American Platinum), ending direct platinum digs in South Africa. Valterra spun out in 1995 from assets bought from Johannesburg Consolidated Investments.

This fit Anglo’s big restructure to fend off a BHP takeover bid, zeroing in on core assets. Platinum’s future looked shaky with the shift to electric vehicles from gas engines. They still hold big in Kumba Iron Ore down there.

HSBC Bank’s Clean Break

Banking took a hit too, as the South African Reserve Bank okayed HSBC Private Bank’s closure by late September. HSBC had announced a full exit after 30 years, starting local ops in 1995, with wind-down set for October 31, 2025. Clients and ops shifted to FirstRand after June’s regulatory nod, wrapping up HSBC’s local story.

Jubilee’s Deal and Shift

London’s Jubilee kept pushing its South Africa exit in mining, nabbing a firm $90 million (R1.5 billion) offer from One Chrome in August for its chrome and platinum group metals ops. Those assets were mature, needing big cash for growth they didn’t want to chase. The sale frees them to double down on Zambia copper, which needs focused management and funds.

Norton Rose Fulbright Splits Off

Wrapping the year, legal heavyweight Norton Rose Fulbright said in November it’d cut ties with its South African arm, turning it independent by March 31, 2026. Born in 2011 from a merger with local Deneys Reitz, the split keeps local CEO Brent Botha at the helm. No more global brand footprint, but they framed it as growth for the local team serving South Africa, Africa-wide, and global clients.

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