Tag: RelyComply

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.

Africa is building one of the fastest-growing instant payment ecosystems in the world. However, transaction speeds now move in seconds. Fraud detection frameworks still operate in minutes, hours or even days. This gap creates a dangerous asymmetry. Payments are becoming real-time, while risk management often is not. As a result, real-time payments continue to outpace traditional control systems.

Digital and mobile-first banking has changed our lives for the better. However, it has exposed consumers and institutions to increasingly complex financial crime threats. Digital banking fraud now represents one of the fastest-growing risk categories in South Africa.

Stringent enforcement of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations places heavy responsibility on banks and other Financial Institutions (FIs). These institutions must take great care when onboarding customers. They must also track the source and destination of funds to ensure compliance. However, FIs do not operate in isolation.

A SIM card is, effectively, a portable identity token. Once compromised, it gives attackers a back door into bank accounts, digital wallets, investment apps and other high-risk transactional environments. As a result, SIM card fraud exposes individuals and institutions to cascading financial and compliance risks.

South Africa has tightened Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations since the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylisting in 2023. The country has now been recently removed from the FATF greylist after two years of scrutiny. However, financial crime remains widespread.

Just a few years ago, neobanks and fintechs were regarded as disruptive competitive threats to incumbent Financial Institutions (FIs). Now, the script has changed. These startups and innovators are viewed as potential merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunities or as partners for larger banks.

Tax evasion goes far beyond legal tax avoidance. It is the practice of illegally hiding income or profits to avoid paying tax, costing countries over $500 billion a year. In many cases, tax crime and hidden owners depend on opaque ownership structures that conceal who really owns assets, where transactions are flowing, and other patterns of criminal behaviour.

Flashy Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications like generative art and self-driving cars dominate headlines. Still, AI and Machine Learning (ML) play a quiet background role in our daily lives. Nowhere is AI’s growing influence more apparent than in financial services. AI systems are increasingly protecting both the financial system and its customers.

Television series like Breaking Bad and Ozark reflect the public’s fascination with money laundering and its criminals. Yet, in reality, laundering is far more sophisticated, dangerous, and far-reaching than the fictional exploits of Walter White or Marty Byrde. Unregulated gambling and financial crime are increasingly interconnected, providing criminals with new avenues to launder illicit funds globally.