Tag: working capital

Determining the right amount of funding a business needs is a common challenge for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This is due to several reasons or practical challenges. To begin with, no business is the same. Funding requirements and the use of credit will vary based on business life stage (start, run or grow), operating cycles, growth plans, industry, and market conditions

The trade finance ecosystem plays a crucial role in facilitating international trade by providing financing and risk mitigation services to importers, exporters and other participants in the global supply chain. In recent years, the trade finance ecosystem has undergone significant transformations driven by technological advancements and the growing importance of data – and we’re proud to be leading the charge in and for Africa.

MultiChoice Group (MCG), Africa’s leading entertainment company, returned its Rest of Africa business to profitability and further expanded its consumer services ecosystem during the year ended 31 March 2023 (FY23).

With Amazon readying itself to launch in South Africa in February 2023, forward-thinking local retailers and e-tailers are gearing up their businesses to leverage the country’s R30 billion per year e-commerce market. Globally, Amazon dominates online sales and has driven enormous disruption in the market.

President Cyril Ramaphosa declared youth unemployment a national priority in his newsletter ahead of Youth Day this year, saying that youth unemployment is a 'huge mountain to climb' but that efforts were underway to address the challenge.

The lack of access to finance is one of the main reasons small and medium enterprises (SMEs) fail worldwide. While start-up capital is crucial, access to funding in running a business is critical too. In the best of times, access to finance is vital to scale and take advantage of opportunities.

Exports could hold the key to South Africa’s economic recovery and growth. South Africa is experiencing a record trade surplus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with our exports far outpacing imports. Recent data released by the South African Revenue Service showed that South Africa recorded a trade surplus of R51.4 billion in April 2021, surpassing market expectations of R31 billion.

In the current economic environment, businesses are keen to reduce debt by paying down their commercial loans. While this is a facility that banks offer their clients, there are valid reasons to pay off a commercial property loan early - many clients unwittingly do so for the wrong reasons and to their own detriment.

South Africa cannot afford to lose its mall and medium enterprises (SMEs), says financing expert. As local business relief initiatives such as the COVID-19 Loan Guarantee Scheme come to a close, many SMEs continue to struggle, with an unfortunate number of businesses’ liquidity eroded by the pandemic and various lockdowns - especially those that operate in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The oil and gas industry are no stranger to supply and demand shocks, having faced more than a dozen such blows over the course of the past four decades. Most of the supply side blows were the result of sudden supply pullbacks in reaction to geopolitical unrest.