Tag: Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA)

In today's dynamic business environment, entrepreneurs are at the forefront of reshaping industries. They challenge conventional norms, redefine traditional practices and drive forward innovation. Yet, to turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality, entrepreneurs often need financial support. This is where funding becomes pivotal, enabling businesses to scale their operations and make their mark on the world.

Losing a loved one is hard. It’s even more difficult to deal with such a loss in the face of long and complicated estate administration processes. It can become emotionally and financially taxing. In South Africa, it is not uncommon for a deceased estate to take two to five years to finalise.

Despite being viewed as an administrative and burdensome expense with excessive paperwork sometimes causing potential delays to establishing business relationships and concluding transactions, Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) compliance is more crucial than ever.

Gone are the days of box-ticking. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has recently imposed administrative sanctions on two financial services providers (FSPs), in each case for failing to comply with certain provisions of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA). 

Determining the right amount of funding a business needs is a common challenge for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This is due to several reasons or practical challenges. To begin with, no business is the same. Funding requirements and the use of credit will vary based on business life stage (start, run or grow), operating cycles, growth plans, industry, and market conditions

Accessing the right funding and financing, at the right time, can mean the difference between starting up, staying open, or shutting down. The economy is facing a challenging business environment, with slow global growth, economic volatility, and ongoing power supply issues. This means that many businesses in South Africa are still trying to find their financial footing

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) brings to the attention of all accountable institutions, important information regarding penalties and administrative sanctions for non-compliance. This information applies also to those institutions included on Schedule 1 of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 2001 (Act 38 of 2001) since December 2022.

The popularity of cryptocurrencies stems from the fact that trading takes place in an anonymous environment where individuals may use pseudonyms and are not face-to-face. However, as the crypto industry grows and becomes more developed, it is becoming less true that “crypto is anonymous”.

For many years, the South African banking sector has strived to comply with international financial regulations, such as Basel II and its successors, in order to ensure cost effective access to global markets. With its focus on proving the accuracy of risk measures, Basel drove the adoption of data management principles within South Africa’s major banks, but with a risk focus.

Late last year, South Africa changed the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) to alter the status of several business types, including motor vehicle dealers. Under the new changes, dealerships are accountable institutions. How does this affect their operations, and can they adapt to the new requirements?