A novel way to maintain strong friendships? Creating a joint bank account. That’s the advice Madison Machen received last year while chatting with her seat-mate on a flight to New York. The woman was on her way to meet her best friend on one of their periodic trips. The trip, she told Machen, was funded…
A new report by the World Bank and UNICEF has revealed that despite global progress in reducing extreme child poverty, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen no improvement in the past decade, with more than half of children in the region still living below the poverty line. The report, ‘Child Poverty: Global, Regional and Select National Trends’,…
Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner Discovery Bank is cementing its place as a serious digital challenger in the South African market. In its full-year results released published last week, for the period ending 30 June 2025, the bank reported positive customer growth numbers, even breaking even for the first time. In this in-depth interview, Discovery…
During a candid and thought-provoking fireside chat at the ongoing Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, issued a powerful warning to African leaders: global financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF were not designed to serve Africa’s development interests. Moderated by CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters, the session examined Africa’s trade…
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) have signed a groundbreaking Joint Project Preparation Facility (JPPF) Framework Agreement. This strategic partnership aims to unlock a cumulative investment value of at least US$1 billion and is set to significantly transform housing and urban development across the continent and boost trade and investment. Signed…
PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell The Competition Commission in August recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the South African Reserve Bank’s proposed acquisition of a 50% stake in payments clearing house PayInc – previously BankServAfrica – be approved without conditions attached. The move radically changes the ownership structure of PayInc, the developer and manager of rapid…
Standard Bank’s Nthabiseng Mohale Banks should review their pricing strategies for PayShap transactions to drive higher rates of financial inclusion and increase adoption of the rapid payments platform in South Africa. This is according to Nthabiseng Mohale, head of interbank and domestic payments at Standard Bank Group, who spoke to TechCentral at the launch of…
Standard Bank’s Nthabiseng Mohale Banks should consider lowering the fees they charge for PayShap transactions to drive higher rates of financial inclusion and increase adoption of the rapid payments platform in South Africa. This is according to Nthabiseng Mohale, head of interbank and domestic payments at Standard Bank Group, who spoke to TechCentral at the…
Most of South Africa’s five largest banks are increasing their spend on IT – excluding staff costs – in single-digit percentages, their most recent full-year financial results show. However, Capitec – although not the biggest spender in absolute terms – bucked the industry trend by increasing its spend by 32% year on year for the…
Standard Bank on Tuesday launched a new virtual credit card with “advanced security features” that it said it has so much confidence in that it has made a 100% credit fraud protection promise to customers who use it. The bank said the virtual credit card includes a feature that lets clients use their banking app…
