Tag: inflation

Affordability is a prime concern for many when it comes to choosing the right medical aid plan. Medical inflation consistently outpaces general inflation, so year after year employees need to balance coverage and cost.

Before we can unpack the operating challenges and opportunities in transactional banking, we need to emphasise this point. The global economy has faced a re-set of sorts as inflation has spiked higher and global interest rates have risen from historical lows. It is certainly not ‘business as usual’ in the world of financial services and banking.

Decarbonisation, demographics and deglobalisation (3Ds) are changing the investing landscape and presenting investors with a new set of investment opportunities.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the beating heart of Africa’s economies. According to the World Economic Forum, as engines of growth, SMEs are responsible for around 80% of the continent’s employment, ultimately helping to reduce poverty and income inequality, enabling the establishment of a new middle class and driving demand for new goods and services.

While many factors indicated the possibility of a rate hike, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB)’s decision to hold their key lending rate provides some relief after a challenging year.

MultiChoice Group (MCG, or the group), Africa’s leading entertainment company, executed well on its operational objectives during the six months ended 30 September 2023 (1H FY24).

In February 2022, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana amended the maximum offshore investment limit for Regulation 28 retirement funds from 30% of assets to 45%. But data shows that most funds haven’t maximised their exposure to the new limit, begging the question: why?

High interest rates increase the income opportunity of one’s savings and investments. In a volatile economic landscape, the importance of prudent financial planning and savvy saving strategies becomes more critical than ever. When inflation is high, the value of money seems to shift like sand beneath our feet, with a knock-on effect on interest rates and the cost of living.

Your boss may not necessarily be keen on understanding every line item on your travel expense report, but they certainly need to understand the overall value that your business travel brings to the table. Having to justify the ‘value’ of business travel is a challenge that resonates deeply with travel managers around the globe today.

Whether through resignation, retirement or retrenchment, people change jobs all the time. Unfortunately, most of them cash out their pension funds when they do – and it’s one of the biggest reasons why only 6 out of every 100 South Africans end up with enough money to retire, according to the South African Treasury.