Banking & Insurance

Picture a rainy Wednesday morning in Sandton, sometime in the near future. A claims handler opens their laptop. Right away, things move much faster than before. For every new email, the company’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) system drafts a suggested reply. The inbox is also lighter. A public chatbot handles most client and broker queries because it has been trained on policy wordings and continues to improve. Need a meeting? An AI assistant schedules it, sets reminders, and even takes minutes.

There is a common misconception that having insurance guarantees a successful claim. However, this belief often leads to rejected insurance claims. After all, policyholders pay premiums every month. They expect the policy to respond when something goes wrong.

On 6 January 2026, the Pretoria High Court delivered judgment in a case concerning an insurance living annuity. The matter involved competing beneficiary nominations made shortly before the deceased’s death. Importantly, it highlights the risks associated with beneficiary disputes in living annuities.

Public protest is a protected constitutional right in South Africa. However, when protest action moves into privately owned commercial environments such as shopping centres, different legal and risk considerations arise. In particular, protests inside shopping centres introduce complex liability questions.

On Saturday, 28 February, war in the Middle East grounded three of South Africa’s key long-haul carriers: Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. As a result, the Middle East crisis disrupted major aviation routes. With airspace closed, thousands of travellers were stranded. They were either in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, or at their destinations with return flights in question.

Our analysis of cancer-related gap claims we paid between 2020 and 2024 shows a staggering increase. The increase relates to gap claim volumes for initial cancer diagnosis, treatment co-payments and shortfalls. This cancer gap claims surge reflects growing pressure on healthcare funding. We operate as a gap cover provider, and GENRIC Insurance Company Limited underwrites the business.

South Africa's economic recovery gained credible momentum in 2025. GDP recorded its fifth consecutive quarter of growth in Q4-2025. This pushed the annualised rate to 1.1% for 2025. The Government of National Unity's reform agenda supported this growth. The end of load shedding also contributed. In addition, recovering consumer and business confidence strengthened the outlook.

Healthcare policy in South Africa has become emotionally charged. While National Health Insurance (NHI) is often presented as an inevitable endpoint, medical schemes are portrayed as temporary structures awaiting replacement. The 2026 Healthcare Budget tells a more sober story. What stood out to me was not dramatic reform but restraint. The government did not introduce a new NHI tax.

The recent Eastern Cape Division of the High Court judgment in N[...] v Member of the Executive for the Department of Health, Eastern Cape serves as a critical reminder of the intricacies surrounding prescription in medical malpractice claims. This is particularly relevant where the claimant is a layperson with limited medical knowledge.

The first quarter of the year is often one of the most financially challenging periods for South African businesses. Companies absorb year-end expenses during this time. They also navigate delayed customer payments and face slower trading conditions. As a result, many companies enter the new year under significant cash-flow pressure.