By law, all South African credit providers are obliged to register with the National Credit Regulator. In addition to the nearly 7,600 registered providers, the NCR register has records of 2,260 voluntary cancellations, 86 tribunal cancellations and 9,624 lapsed registrations.

Many of the providers are microfinance and payday loan companies, which service individuals who may not have a credit history or collateral.

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• Chart: Almost one-third of South Africans with credit are struggling to repay their debts