Economy
Expect a bumpy ride for the rand in 2019
Few currencies matched the rand’s turbulence in 2017, with factors such as Trumpenomics, the firing of finance minister Pravin Gordhan and the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president, contributing to the R2.04 price swing during the year.
Financial Services
Financial services compliance: 9 Top Tips for 2019
With the myriad of regulations in play and those to come, it can be difficult to keep up and compliant.
Fintech
Opinion piece: The progression from banking to bAInking
Today’s customers demand an always-on, immediately responsive customer experience, and banks are turning to the likes of automation, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to respond to these demands.
Instruments & Investments
2018’s secret investment winner
2018 was a bruising year for investors, as traditional asset classes delivered returns that can at best be described as unsatisfactory. Yet, amidst the gloom, an often-forgotten asset class shone through, achieving a solid return of 15%: preference shares.
International
Working in partnership: a new public/private approach to tackle economic crime
2018 saw a major drive across government to tackling illicit finance and economic crime on the basis that “corruption and economic crime undermines our economy, damages our international reputation and communities.”
Markets
Financial Matters Amendment Bill With Amendments To The Insolvency Act Published – Financial Market...
On 1 February 2019, the South African Minister of Finance published the Financial Matters Amendment Bill (the "Bill") containing a long-awaited amendment to section 83 of the Insolvency Act, 1936. We previously discussed the purpose of the amendment to the Insolvency Act, as well as a number of issues associated with the first draft of the Bill (the "Draft Bill"), which was published on 24 August 2018.
Personal Finance
Tax relief and your RA
Doing good may be reward enough, but we don’t know anyone who’s declined a reward from SARS for making a contribution to society.