Tag: financial inclusion

If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance you’re already familiar with Environmental Social Governance (ESG). ESG is a constantly evolving standard that emphasises the importance of doing business in a way that positively impacts the environment, society and stakeholders.

A new report provides an overview of the financial technology (fintech) regulatory frameworks of 39 jurisdictions across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and South America. The report, titled Fintech: how is the world shaping the financial innovation industry?, addresses how different regulators around the world are dealing with the application of technology and innovation to banking and financial services as well as society’s present concerns.

Every South African should care about open banking. It would give consumers more control over their financial data and empower them to use the banking services that best meet their needs. Open banking promises to reinvent the way consumers view and interact with financial products and services.

According to the World Economic Forum, artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute up to USD 15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. However, in Africa, AI market growth has stagnated. Estimated at USD 870 million in 2021, with marginal growth forecasted until 2024.

Innovative models are bridging the gap between employee pay and evolving consumer behaviour. A fairly new yet ground-breaking fintech offering, Earned Wage Access (EWA) is a financial technology that allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages before their regular pay cycle.

Earned wage access (EWA) is rising in prominence as a powerful HR tool for employers to retain and attract talent. This statement is supported by a new report issued by J.P Morgan titled Financial Inclusion Through Payments. We are a contributing author to the report.

Women entrepreneurs are on the rise globally, with this wave sweeping over the African and Middle Eastern region. Historically, Africa has led the world in terms of numbers of women business owners, with countries like Uganda and Ghana – leading the way.

The fact remains that training people to acquire the necessary future skills is essential. We need to have people equipped to not only do their work effectively but also to compete globally. However, skills alone are not enough – experience matters.

This article present some thoughts on how mobile money, cross-border payments and ‘buy now, pay later’ are transforming the financial sector, particularly in emerging markets, for the better. Last year saw an unprecedented rate of change in the financial sector, with huge growth in the use of digital financial services.

Reading through the proposed amendments to the Companies Act again, it struck me that they are symptomatic of a general South African problem: too much regulation, too few results. No doubt some of these amendments are necessary, but will they actually address the big issues that concern us all?