Tag: FinTech

Businesses are expanding across borders. New trade corridors are emerging. Regional ambition also remains strong. However, liquidity, payment and execution challenges continue to shape the reality of doing business across Africa. Six months into 2026, African trade is growing, but it appears to be telling two stories at once.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority's (FSCA) call for a centralised anti-fraud hub at its 2026 conference reflects a timely recognition that South Africa's financial institutions (FIs) cannot successfully fight financial crime in isolation. However, centralisation alone is not enough.

The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) updated statement on the Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations has moved South Africa’s crypto regulation debate into a more practical phase. Just as importantly, Treasury and SARB have clarified that the draft regulations are not intended to criminalise the possession of crypto assets or apply retrospectively.

South Africa should carefully assess how short-term instalment products are interpreted before Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) data shapes access to mainstream credit. The country could risk turning BNPL into a product that shuts people out of mainstream credit rather than helping them into it. This could happen if BNPL data enters credit-scoring systems that were never designed to interpret this type of product fairly.

For years, banks have modernised around channels. Mobile apps have improved. Onboarding has become faster. Customer engagement has also become more personalised. These improvements matter because customers experience them daily. However, a more difficult shift is now underway.

Digital business is the new frontier of modern entrepreneurship, and applications (apps) have become the gateway to almost every service imaginable. In a global economy driven by interconnectivity and advancing technology, start-up companies in all digital industries, particularly in FinTech, are quickly becoming the Oil and Rail industry equivalent of the 21st century.

FY26 marked a year of delivery, with strong results, disciplined capital allocation and accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Prosus delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, while all regional ecosystems achieved profitability.

FY26 was a year of delivery: strong results, disciplined capital allocation and accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Naspers delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, with all regional ecosystems profitable.

For most of the past decade, African fintech was a land grab. Valuations rewarded user numbers. Interfaces became flashier. “Disruption” became the pitch that attracted capital investment. From the outside, it was clear that the model was running hotter than it could sustain. However, that era is over.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has published the third version of its proposed amendment to the payments regulatory framework. The amendments focus on two key instruments. These include a draft exemption notice that excludes certain payment activities from constituting “the business of a bank”, and a revised draft Authorisation Framework set out in a draft directive.