Tag: innovation

There is a pattern emerging across boardrooms that is starting to look very familiar. Executives are excited about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Budgets are being allocated. Pilot projects are being launched. Early results are often promising. Yet, despite all this activity, very few organisations are seeing meaningful, enterprise-wide impact.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are undeniably the lifeblood of South Africa's economy. They represent 91% of businesses in the formal sector and employ roughly 60% of the country's workforce. Yet, the entrepreneurial landscape remains notoriously harsh. More than 70% of South African SMEs fail between their first and fifth years.

In a tough economic environment where capital is scarce, we continue to back responsible entrepreneurs who build sustainable, high-impact businesses that create opportunity and resilience in South Africa. We have released our 2025 Impact Report. The report outlines the organisation's work in backing responsible entrepreneurs, supporting portfolio resilience and contributing to economic inclusion through a long-term investment model.

While Bafana Bafana lost the opening game against Mexico, Lenovo’s technology underpinning the event was a big winner. The opening match of the World Cup did not go South Africa's way. As always, we lived in hope. Then we resigned ourselves to the inevitable. However, the one thing that worked seamlessly and proved to be a winner for fans of both Mexico and Bafana Bafana was the technology underpinning the tournament.

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.

Much of the current conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) focuses on technology choices. Organisations ask which platform to use. They also ask which model works best. In addition, they debate which tools will replace existing systems. Across boardrooms and IT departments, leaders race to decide on AI platforms, copilots, automation layers and infrastructure upgrades.

Leaders are expected to plan for the future, whether they operate in big business, small business, government or good-deed organisations. And they do. Leaders collate data across all aspects of operations. They compare budgets with actuals. They also make projections for the next six months to five years.  Leaders build detailed quantitative models and dashboards. Some projections include both positive and negative outcomes.

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.

There is a narrative building around artificial intelligence (AI) that deeply concerns me. It is a narrative rooted in fear. People fear being replaced. They fear being left behind. They fear not understanding the technology. They also fear experimenting and getting it wrong. Yet, from where I sit, AI is not something we can afford to fear from the sidelines. Instead, we need to engage with it. We need to learn from it, play with it, challenge it, shape it and adopt it.