Banking & Insurance

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm, especially with the latest tech hit, ChatGPT, going viral. If you haven’t heard of or tried ChatGPT, it’s a highly advanced AI tool that you can use to ask any question, and in return, it will provide you with an intelligent, well-written answer back - all within seconds.

Business owners could not have known how fundamentally their lives would change only a few months ago. We now know the pandemic has wreaked havoc on cash flows, supply chains, debt repayments and the general financial standing of thousands of companies in South Africa.

In a landmark moment for South Africa’s financial services sector, Investec and other SA stakeholders officially launched and handed over the new Market Surveillance Code of Conduct to the South African Institute of Stockbrokers (SAIS).

Digitalisation was a transformative trend sweeping across industries even before the global COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work, shop and interact. Society's ongoing transition to smart and sustainable living leverages information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the quality of life and unlock greater convenience. And ubiquitous and seamless access to digital services underpins this trend, with the digitalisation of banking a core enabler of the emerging smart economy.

Introducing a new approach to SME lending – a revolutionary short-term loan that links repayment terms to daily business revenue. When it comes to running a business in today’s disruptive and unpredictable environment, it’s never been more important for entrepreneurs to read the signs and respond accordingly, by adapting their strategies with out-of-the-box thinking and lightning-fast execution.

It is important if you are working from home to check your policy and take the time to notify your insurer of this change in risk profile, to ensure you are properly covered if your risk has changed, you have acquired additional equipment or IT infrastructure, and so on.

Reports of alleged corruption plaguing the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), one of the vehicles being touted to administer the National Health Insurance (NHI) should not come as a surprise. We note with concern these reports, and stresses to both government and citizens the crucial lesson that must be learned from this scandal.

Every successful business owner will tell you that ‘cash flow is king’ and effective working capital management is essential for any successful business to survive, as it provides a business with the cash flow to fund its day-to-day operations. Working Capital can be funded by the business itself or by external funders.

The economic landscape continues to present formidable obstacles for South Africans. With the prices of essential goods surging and wage growth stagnating, disposable income has dwindled forcing consumers to cut back on spending to focus on essential items.

Entrepreneurs invest a lot of energy into getting their businesses off the ground and finding ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, few put the same dedicated effort into finding the best insurance solution for their business.