South Africa Archives - Page 10 of 30

22Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, Kenya News, Nigeria News, South Africa News, Startups

Nigerian Fintech, Brass, Secures $1.7mn Financing Round “to bet on African SMEs”

“Africa’s new bank for startups and SMEs” to expand to South Africa & Kenya following funding Brass, a Nigerian digital bank delivering easy access to affordable premium banking services for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), has today secured $1.7mn in funding to address the heavily underserved banking needs of local entrepreneurs, traders and fast-growing businesses. The financing round sees participation from Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola (Co-Founder of Flutterwave), Ezra Olubi (Co-Founder of Paystack, acquired by Stripe), Hustle Fund, Acuity Ventures, Uncovered Fund and Ventures Platform. The new funding will play a key role in accelerating Brass’ expansion into South Africa and Kenya - just a year after launch, and will kickstart a range of new product categories, including an ex...

21Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Collaboration is needed to end SA’s growing hunger pandemic

One Moment Foundation founder and YPO member Isaac Chalumbira shares insights on the growing hunger in SA The United Nations has reported a significant spike in global hunger, as a result of the pandemic. According to the 2021 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, Africa experienced the biggest jump, with the estimated prevalence of undernourishment currently residing at 21% of the population – more than double that of any other region. Zooming in on South Africa, the National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) revealed that during April/May 2021, approximately 2.3 million households reported child hunger, while an Ipsos study found that more than 40% of South Africans of all age groups were affected by hunger. Isaac ...

21Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy, Fintech, South Africa News

Tech tipping point

New technology often seems fantastic on paper yet has little impact in the life of the average person. A new tipping solution for fuel pump attendants, however, does both. When asked to fill up a fuel tank as motorists do in the movies, few South Africans would know what to do beyond pulling their tank lever from inside the car. Fuel station attendants are as much a part of our culture as braais and ‘howzit’. And yet, a BusinessTech poll of over 7000 respondents in 2018 showed that 37% of motorists don’t tip pump attendants. Engen aims to change this with its new ‘Tip an Attendant’ function. Ukheshe technologies, Telkom and Engen have collaborated to create the QR solution which allows motorists to tip attendants and cashiers for efficient service by simply scanning a QR code using thei...

18Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

DevConf is back with a bang

DevConf, an exclusive conference dedicated to South African developers returns in April 2022. The much-anticipated return of DevConf, an exclusive conference dedicated to South African developers, means that once again software developers can gather in-person to network, and be inspired by a range of topics applicable to software development. Run as a virtual event in 2020, DevConf’s founders are taking last year’s lessons and creating a hybrid approach that combines the best of in-person events with a virtual element that allows anyone in the country to benefit from the world-class speakers, discussions, and presentations on offer at DevConf 2022. “DevConf is back, and we are so excited!” says DevConf host Candice Herodotou. “Running DevConf in 2020 as a virtual event was incredible c...

12Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, Mauritius News, Startups

Peach Payments expands into Mauritius, serves as key event sponsor at Africa FinTech Festival

Peach Payments is pleased to announce that it has set up an office in Mauritius recently in pursuit of its pan-African expansion strategy. As a FinTech start-up that was set up in South Africa in 2012 and expanded into Kenya in 2018, the company is set to make a significant contribution to the pan-African FinTech landscape as a key event sponsor at the Africa FinTech Festival (AFF) which is being held in a virtual format by the Mauritius Africa FinTech Hub (MAFH) from 13 to 15 October 2021. Peach Payments is a world-class payment gateway offering simple, seamless and secure online payment services which enable businesses to easily accept payments on their websites and mobile apps, integrating with leading e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, Wix and Magento. As the organ...

10Oct

By Jana BothaNo Comments

Kenya News, Main, South Africa News, Startups

Africa: tax implications of digital transformation in the consumer goods and retail sector

By Jana Botha, Tax Consultant, and Prenisha Govender, Associate, Tax Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The pandemic-fuelled growth of the digital economy and unabated demand for online retail products across Africa have led to extensive disruption in the Consumer Goods and Retail Sector (CG&R) sector. Due to a growth in demand for online retail, CG&R companies in Africa have been rapidly adapting their digital operating models, and multinational e-commerce platforms operating in the region have attracted a record number of new customers. This digital transition, and resultant growth in the e-commerce sector, has tax implications for digital CG&R businesses operating in Africa. The OECD’s Pillar One and Two Multilateral international tax changes currently being implemente...

23Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

Startup Genome, City of Cape Town, WESGRO and Silicon Cape Publish 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report

Cape Town is featured in the world’s preeminent report on advancing startup ecosystems - ranking as the #1 African Ecosystem in Knowledge The 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network was launched today at London Tech Week. The GSER is the world’s most comprehensive and widely read research on startups with 280 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems and 3 million startups analyzed. The Report includes a ranking of the leading 140 ecosystems in the world, breakdowns by continent with regional insights, and founder-focused articles from thought leaders and experts around the world. City of Cape Town, WESGRO and Silicon Cape worked closely with Startup Genome to highlight Cape Town’s strengths against ecosystems globally. Cape To...

23Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

How to avoid falling victim to rising vehicle scams

South Africa’s biggest banks are warning customers about a marked increase in vehicle purchase scams. Criminals place adverts for fake vehicles online at hugely discounted prices to lure in buyers hunting for a great bargain. Sameer Kumandan, Managing Director of SearchWorks, an innovative platform which allows consumers to perform live, accurate vehicle searches and valuations as well as company searches and property valuations, says South Africans are turning to online content for everything from comparing prices to doing more in-depth research, particularly when it comes to long term financial commitments such as buying a car. According to reports, fake vehicle adverts are relatively sophisticated and usually include photos to match the vehicle description with contact details of th...

22Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Safe disposal of asbestos is vital to protect people and the environment

South Africa’s incidence of mesothelioma, a type of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers most of your internal organs, is ranked among the highest in the world. This cancer stems from over a century of asbestos mining and production. Since the 1930s, medical science has recognized the potential dangers of asbestos. Asbestos is friable, which means that the ‘fibrils’ which form its fibrous crystal structure can break off and be released into the atmosphere following abrasion or agitation. Inhalation of these toxic fibres can accumulate in the lungs, which causes life-threatening conditions like mesothelioma and asbestosis – and sadly sometimes only decades later. Even though generally it does not pose a high health risk, powerful asbestos industry lobbyists (especial...

22Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Agriculture, Fintech, South Africa News

HelloChoice: South African Agri-FinTech Start-Up Secures Major Standard Bank Investment

Leading South African founded and owned Agri-FinTech start-up HelloChoice has announced the finalisation of a major investment from Standard Bank, solidifying its market leading position as the premiere digital fresh produce and agricultural marketplace. HelloChoice is a proudly South African success story, founded in 2018 by Grant Jacobs and Graeme Jarvie, who had a vision to modernise the traditional way of buying and selling agricultural produce. Initially self-funded and based on a vision to build a thriving trading community, HelloChoice has also always been committed to addressing broader food security and socio-economic needs in this sector. HelloChoice is the first independent fresh produce trading platform with a broader ambition to promote economic prosperity and market effic...