Technology

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role has moved decisively beyond compliance. In a volatile, data-driven economy, finance leaders must now shape strategy, guide decisions and help businesses respond to disruption in real time. The shift is clear. CFOs no longer only report numbers. Instead, they interpret them and explain what could happen next.

Payroll regulations keep pace with a fast-moving and complex world. This keeps payroll professionals on their toes. PwC's Payroll Complexity Survey highlighted this trend last year. It wrote that "payroll regulations are evolving more rapidly and payroll compliance is coming under increasing scrutiny by government and tax authorities".

South Africa's hospitality sector faces a paradox. Guests have returned, occupancy rates are recovering, and travel demand has regained strong momentum. According to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, South Africa welcomed 10.485 million international visitors in 2025. This marked a historic record and surpassed pre-pandemic figures.

You’re hungry. You search. Before you’ve even finished scrolling, you’ve booked a table. That’s the new reality of dining discovery - fast, frictionless, and deeply satisfying. It almost feels like you’re tricking the system. With Google’s new AI-powered search experience now rolling out in South Africa, the gap between “that looks good” and “table confirmed” will almost disappear.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is no longer just an IT choice. It has become the operating system of business itself. From Salesforce to Workday, Microsoft 365 to Slack, the SaaS layer now underpins collaboration, analytics and decision-making. However, while businesses enjoy the convenience, scalability and cost efficiency that these platforms provide, many overlook the hidden web of interconnected risks beneath them.

Facebook cloning scams are continuing to rise. They are turning ordinary profiles and family photos into tools for fraud and social engineering. Have you ever wondered what criminals can do with a convincing copy of your life? If not, you should. Criminals can easily step inside your Facebook world and create a cloned profile using your family, friends, adventures and experiences.

Tanzania and Uganda have reached an important stage in their economic development. Infrastructure investment and digital transformation are now beginning to converge across both countries. At the same time, both nations continue expanding physical infrastructure, such as energy and transport networks, while prioritising digital connectivity and services.

There’s a disconnect in many businesses right now. IT teams face pressure to deliver refresh cycles, upgrades and infrastructure rollouts on schedule. At the same time, CFOs must control costs and protect cash flow. On paper, both groups are doing exactly what they should do. However, the numbers they work with no longer reflect reality. Most IT budgets today rely on assumptions that no longer hold.

Digital trust is the invisible contract that lets people, businesses, and governments rely on digital systems for critical interactions. Without it, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) - the shared digital rails for payments, identity and data exchange - cannot scale or deliver the economic and social value it promises.

At the start of 2024, a finance worker in Hong Kong at a multinational firm joined what appeared to be a routine video call with senior leadership. The call included people who looked and sounded like the company’s UK-based CFO and other executives. However, AI-generated deepfakes had created these individuals. As a result, the employee authorised several transfers to different bank accounts worth around $25 million.