Tag: insurance

Extreme weather events - floods, droughts, typhoons and wildfires - and their frequency - are getting worse. In the past, these disasters were considered unpredictable, inalterable natural events. Today, extreme weather events are largely accepted as inevitable, and their severity and frequency influenced, if not caused, by human activity.

Read our exclusive cover story titled Blurred lines – [un]natural disasters and insurance risk by Donald Dinnie, Director, and Danita Mungaroo, Candidate Attorney, Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) increases customs duties for online retail orders as part of a broader strategy to promote local businesses and address global supply chain imbalances. The clothing and textile industry has faced widescale criticism for controversial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. South African consumers may imagine themselves to be far from the hub of these issues. However, we are all participants in the global supply and demand for fashion.

Conversations about the war for talent in financial services have persisted for many years. Competition to attract skilled individuals has always been intense, with high demand for talented professionals. This competition has intensified recently as hiring activity accelerates to meet today's significant challenges.

Despite unprecedented external headwinds, MultiChoice achieved positive operational outcomes. Most notably, currency depreciation reduced trading profit by ZAR7 billion. This impact was felt over the last 18 months. However, through active interventions, MultiChoice navigated these challenges effectively. These efforts spanned the six months ending 30 September 2024 (1H FY25).

When was the last time you bought something with physical cash or wrote out a cheque? In fact, how often do you even have to do money transfers on your laptop rather than your phone? When did you last have a one-on-one appointment with your insurance broker? Pick any area of finance and you’ll likely find similarly big changes over the past couple of decades. 

As a business traveller, you carry more than just your laptop and a positive attitude. Between your tech, your corporate credit cards, and that nice watch you wear to impress clients, you could be toting around R50,000 to R200,000 in value. That's quite the tempting target for those with less-than-honest intentions.

We live in a volatile world where geopolitical risks, economic inflation, natural disasters and an increasingly complex regulatory environment are applying pressures on all fronts, including the insurance sector. Underwriting requirements are becoming stringent, and prospective clients are having to provide far more granular information about their portfolio of risks as well as risk mitigation measures, while reduced capacity and insurer appetite for certain classes of risks remains a real concern.

Capitec reports 36% growth in its financial results for the six months ended 31 August 2024, driving headline earnings to R6.4 billion. The nation’s leading retail bank – now with 23 million clients – says its strategic focus and continued investment in digital transformation since 2020, product diversification, and client-centric solutions continue to yield impressive results, positioning it as a trailblazer in South Africa's financial services sector.

Any business relying on machinery and equipment for its operations is exposed to the probability of significant financial losses due to a breakdown of a key piece of machinery that isn’t quickly or easily replaced or repaired.