Tag: banking

Connecting to a real-time payment rail is the straightforward part. Delivering an experience that genuinely feels instant is where the real work and the competitive advantage lie. There is plenty of excitement about real-time payment rails at the moment. Most of it is justified. Moving money in seconds rather than days changes what a business can offer the people it serves.

The US-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz weighed on the global economy in the second quarter of 2026. Higher energy prices pushed global inflation higher. Consequently, some markets adopted a more hawkish monetary policy stance. The operating environment in South Africa (SA) during the first half of 2026 was mixed. Real GDP growth in the first quarter surprised on the upside.

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.

Imagine beginning with a bold mission in 2012: to achieve financial inclusion through a multi-country bank. Within a decade, that vision became one of the fastest-growing fintechs in the world. The remarkable journey of It’s About Tyme captures this evolution.

South Africa’s financial institutions are rewriting the rules of banking technology. The cloud has become a new balance sheet of innovation. For decades, the country’s banking sector has punched above its weight. For example, it provided electronic banking long before many global peers.

The operating environment during the first half of the year was challenging. Uncertainty around US policies, especially tariffs and ongoing geopolitical conflicts, caused significant volatility in financial markets. These factors also reduced business confidence.

Conventional wisdom has it that the story of Africa’s digital economy is one of catch-up. But that narrative is giving way to a more dynamic truth: in Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile phones have become the front door to digital life, shaped by mobile content, mobile payments and local innovation.

Today’s most successful fraudsters aren’t sitting in high-tech labs, they’re sitting in living rooms, using tools as simple as a laptop and a spreadsheet. What looks like a complex, high-level breach of banking systems is often nothing more than basic arithmetic, a few internet searches and a complete failure of global financial systems to talk to each other.

Capitec, South Africa’s leading digital bank, has achieved a remarkable milestone, now serving more than half of the country’s adult population. Over the past five years, the bank's journey has included the introduction of business banking, value-added services (VAS), Capitec Connect and insurance under its own insurance licence.

Africa presents a compelling – albeit complex – investment landscape. While challenges such as political instability, currency volatility, and limited liquidity persist, significant opportunities counterbalance them. These growth options stem from powerful demographic shifts, digital transformation, and burgeoning intra-continental trade.