Payments Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

22Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

South African Spending: How to keep the country saving

Did you know that the country’s national savings rate jumped from 14.2% in December 2020 to 18% in the first quarter of this year – the highest it has been since 2010 [i]? According to the South African Reserve Bank, this is a reflection of household spending patterns amid the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic. Hennie Blignaut, Account Executive at Pay@ - a leading payment aggregator and provider of secure payment solutions - notes that this trend towards saving has also been echoed in debt repayments and insurance premium payment volumes, with the former spiking by 58% and the latter by 83% over the past 12 months. He unpacks some of the reasons behind these increases and shares how South Africans can keep saving: For many, pandemic-induced lockdowns led to salary reductions at ...

4May

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

SA can prevent payments fraud crippling businesses and local municipalities

Ryan Mer, Managing Director, eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform provider says technology can be a powerful tool against the fraud and corruption plunging South Africa’s municipalities and businesses into financial crisis. According to a recent report in News 24, a former OR Tambo District Municipality project accountant who defrauded the municipality out of R9.8 million was recently sentenced to 15 years in jail. She was the authorised officer responsible for processing claims from service providers and effecting payments to their bank accounts. Money was transferred to companies belonging to her former boyfriend and sister even though no services were rendered by said businesses. Another News 24 report details how nine people who allegedly defrauded the City of Tshwane out ...

Affordable digital banking to revolutionise price-sensitive East African payments market

21Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, Kenya News

Affordable digital banking to revolutionise price-sensitive East African payments market

In a region still dominated by cash and mobile money options, like M-Pesa, new collaborations between fintechs are looking to capture the price-sensitive market with innovative, open-loop digital payment solutions in East Africa. According to Mark Dankworth, President International, Ukheshe Technologies, the region is poised for a surge in digital banking growth, with the likes of MCQR and virtual cards likely to make the biggest impact. This follows the Kenyan retail-tech startup, Tanda, leveraging Ukheshe Technologies’ cutting-edge Eclipse API to increase their digital banking offering in Kenya and East Africa to include QR payments, digital wallets and the issuing of physical and virtual cards. The move will empower Tanda agents and merchants throughout East Africa to implement 100,000 ...

Telephonic payment solution helps companies deal with Covid-19 challenges

18Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Telephonic payment solution helps companies deal with Covid-19 challenges

VerPay enables verbal commerce as businesses adapt to serve their customers in contactless ways The novel Coronavirus has necessitated the need for a sharp step change across nearly every facet of daily life; which has, in turn, rendered the payments landscape ripe for innovation. “The pandemic has forced us all to do business in new ways, and not all companies have the means - or inclination - to go completely online", says Dana Buys, CEO of VerPay Pty Ltd, a Cape fintech company that specialises in cloud-based payment, "Many consumers still prefer dealing with a person, as opposed to solely an app or website.” VerPay™, allows merchants to do business whilst speaking to a customer, making it ideal for the hospitality, ret...

20Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech

Bill Payment Trends in 2021

Of all the technology sectors to have prospered amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the online payment space has emerged as one of the most influential, following the call for social distancing and demand for contactless payment solutions. “In fact, the Global Payments Report for 2020 published by McKinsey & Co. found that the digital payments sector experienced half a decade’s worth of growth and development in just a few months[i],” explains Andrew Hardie, Chief Executive Officer at Pay@ - a leading payment aggregator and provider of secure payment solutions. “Both in South Africa and abroad, this coincided with a significant increase in the use of online payment gateways and platforms for businesses and consumers alike who were looking to stay safe while socially distancing.” Yet, looking a...

The future of cards, contactless and biometrics in payments

26Mar

By Thomas RexNo Comments

Tech

The future of cards, contactless and biometrics in payments

By Thomas Rex, SVP at Fingerprints It's an interesting time for the humble payment card. Card payments have steadily risen in the last two decades, but innovation of the card has slowed since the launch of contactless over ten years ago. Until, that is, the recent entrance of the biometric payment card. But what’s the value in updating the card further? Contactless cards have gained real traction in the last decade, especially in Europe. But with many markets across the globe still to take the leap to contactless, and others already looking beyond the card to mobile payments, how can we expect the card to continue to be a success? Limitless convenience Two major things concern consumers about contactless cards: security and convenience. For those already happy ‘tapping’ with contactless pa...

8Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Central African Republic News

IMF Concludes ECF Review Mission to the Central African Republic

BANGUI, Central African Republic, November 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ – A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Norbert Toé visited Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR), during October 24 to November 8, 2012 to conduct the first review of the three-year program supported under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The mission assessed progress achieved under the program as at June 30, 2012, updated program objectives for remainder of 2012 and discussed the government’s economic and financial policy objectives for 2013. The mission met with the President of the Republic, H.E. François Bozizé Yangouvonda; the President of the National Assembly, Right Honorable Célestin Leroy Gaombalet; the Prime Minister, H.E. Faustin-Archange Touadéra; the ...

7Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

High-level Seychelles delegation and ProgressSoft at Connected World Forum

after nationwide mobile money launch 1000+ mobile lifeline experts gather in Dubai this month The global payment solutions giant ProgressSoft will share details of the countrywide roll-out of its mobile payment solution in the Republic of Seychelles at the upcoming Connected World Forum in Dubai from 20-21 November. ProgressSoft CEO, Mr. Michael Wakileh, the Seychelles Minister of Finance, Trade & Investment, H.E. Mr. Pierre Laporte and the Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles, H.E. Ms. Abel, head up a distinguished list of more than 100 leading industry experts who will address the conference while some 70 exhibitors will display the latest lifeline technology and services. More than a thousand lifeline services experts will gather for the Connected World Forum, whi...

6Nov

By The African Press OrganizationNo Comments

Science

Oncobiologics and Boston Oncology Team Up to Deliver Biosimilar Therapies for Cancer and Immune Disease to Middle East and North African Markets

CRANBURY, N.J. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Oncobiologics, Inc. and Boston Oncology, LLC today announced a strategic partnership that will allow Boston Oncology to license, manufacture, and commercialize four of Oncobiologics’ biosimilar therapies for cancer and immunological disease in the Middle East and North African (MENA) regions. Under the agreement, Boston Oncology—a pharmaceutical company that localizes advanced technologies and manufacturing expertise in the developing world—will provide Oncobiologics with upfront licensing payments and development milestone payments, along with royalties after the medicines are commercialized. Boston Oncology plans to oversee clinical trials and the development of manufacturing facilities for these therapies in various MEN...

22Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Standard Bank South Africa’s Muvo card brings cutting edge technology to bus system

The introduction of the MasterCard Muvo card in Durban will herald the beginning of the end of carrying cash for bus fare in South Africa. Commuters using People Mover and Durban Transport buses throughout Ethekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province will use the card to pay their fare. The card is powered by Standard Bank South Africa and introduced through its innovation arm Beyond Payments and transport IT specialistAlmex. The card is an anonymous debit MasterCard that is coupled with the National Department of Transport's specified ticketing solution. It is also prefunded and reloadable, and can be used as a standard EMV MasterCard, as well as in a contactless environment enabled though the MasterCard PayPass™ contactless technology. The launch follows the successful...