Tag: Environmental Social Governance (ESG)

The volatility of the South African Rand (ZAR) against the US Dollar (USD) and other major currencies is a trend that is keeping many South Africans up at night. How well the USD performs and how it impacts the value of the ZAR, is greatly impacted by factors such as the US employment figures, inflation rates and gross domestic product (GDP) data, pronouncements by the US Federal Reserve (Fed), and locally, South Africa’s trade balance, GDP, inflation levels, unemployment figures, and guidance from the South African Reserve Bank about monetary policy.

South Africa joins over 60 countries that will head to the polls in 2024, with heightened risks for civil unrest reminiscent of July 2021 top of mind. 2024 has been dubbed the election year, with voters in more than 64 countries heading to the polls.

While the African banking market has seen withdrawal of global banks over the last 5 years, the opportunity for localised banking has seen the opposite, driven by the expansion of African banking groups into the continent, led mostly by South African, West African, and Northern African banks.

In today's corporate world, the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into executive compensation plans has become a beacon of progressive strategy, illuminating the path towards sustainability and responsible governance.

Mining is a historically linear process – we take materials from the earth, make products from them and eventually throw them away as waste. With the intensification of climate change, environmental degradation, pollution – all products of linear economies – the mining industry needs to transition to a circular economy.

As the global energy landscape undergoes a transformative shift, hydrogen emerges as a compelling substitute for traditional fossil fuels, poised to play a pivotal role in the evolving energy transition. With the energy transition market valued at US$183 billion in 2022 and anticipated to surge to US$317 billion by 2032, hydrogen stands out as a key player in this dynamic evolution.

Corporate South Africa needs to explore the growing trend of linking executive compensation to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, driven by the imperative of multi-stakeholder capitalism and heightened attention to sustainability issues.

In 2023 the operating environment for South African banks was more challenging than initially forecast. In addition to a weaker global economy, domestic economic activity was impacted by record levels of load-shedding (electricity shortages), logistical constraints, higher-than-expected levels of inflation and, as a result, higher-than-expected increases in interest rates. Collectively, these conditions have put increasing pressure on consumers’ finances and led to reductions in business confidence and investment in most sectors other than energy.

Few business leaders dispute that artificial intelligence (AI) is on course to upend every major market sector and industry, but many boards aren’t always aware of what a successful AI strategy looks like, or how best to prepare their organisations for the change.

The fourth edition of our report on cross-border tax in Africa explores shifting trends in transfer pricing (TP) – many related to broader taxation themes – and considers what these may mean for multinational entities (MNEs) and revenue authorities.