Tag: South Africa

At the coalface of change

With Coal & Energy Transition Day taking place this month, the discussion around sustainability in coal mining ramps up, as the sector grapples with the desire and responsibility to lower its carbon footprint – while not losing its very reason for existence. In the opinion article, Arjen de Bruin, Group CEO at OIM Consulting, weighs in on the plight facing coal mines and in fact, all corporates who might have realised that the journey towards greening their operations needs to be done responsibly, sustainably – and that is should be viewed as a marathon, not a sprint. And most importantly, why you need to take your people along on this journey.

Fintech’s transformative potential: Empower customers through self-education

The most powerful thing a fintech can do is enable its customers to educate themselves. Mukuru, a leading next-generation financial services provider, started out as a remittance company but has evolved into a platform with a suite of different financial products and services. Mukuru CEO, Andy Jury, says that formalised financial education obviously plays a crucial role in a fintech’s business, but customers that trust and repeatedly use a new product or service, such as a digital store of money, go through a natural learning process and are then more comfortable being exposed to more sophisticated products.

South African consumers feel the big squeeze: 99% have changed their FMCG shopping habits to save money

According to NIQ, 44% of South African consumers feel they are in a worse financial position this year compared to a year ago. Of those respondents, 82% say that increased costs of living are to blame for their recent financial struggles, up from 76% a year ago. Nearly two-thirds (62%) state they are worse off due to the economic slowdown, up from 57% a year ago. These findings appeared in “Consumer Outlook 2024″, the latest NIQ Thought Leadership report capturing the mindset and sentiment of consumers around the world.