JOHANNESBURG-South African businesses need to capitalize on the potential that exists in bio-metric enabled cashless transactions as they can now embed Software Development Kits, SDKs, into their own apps to biometrically enable the apps to validate identities while a customer is registering, logging on or processing a cashless transaction. Business Development Director for local bio-metric authentication specialists, Fides Cloud Technologies, Craig Hills says, “the major barrier to the adoption of bio-metrics for retail and other transactional activities in the last decade has been the need for additional hardware to verify identities but with modern SDK’s, that can be a thing of the past.”

Hills, who will be speaking on the subject of Bio-metrics in the cashless system and future possibilities at the 2019 Cashless Payments Summit taking place at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on the 7th and 8th of November, added that the introduction of relatively cheap smartphones with cameras which have sufficient quality to capture a bio-metric image, has allowed for bio-metrics to be included in any customer engagement strategies both in branch and remotely at retail shops.

Still on how retail service providers can benefit from modern cashless payment systems which are constantly innovating, innovative bitcoin company Centbee CEO, Angus Brown, said “retailers and other businesses need to take advantage of the fact that South Africans are in the top five global adopters of cryptocurrency.”   

Looking at how some retailers, especially smaller one’s view cryptocurrencies, Brown said, ‘They do not need to understand how cryptocurrencies work – they just need a Bitcoin Payment Processor, which acts like an acquiring bank to handle all this for them”.

Brown, who will also be speaking at the 2019 Cashless Payments Summit said paying by scanning a QR code is becoming ubiquitous and in some countries is now the de-facto payment type while BitcoinSV is currently processing at the speed of thousands of transactions per second, and provides instant confirmation – completely suitable as a payments clearing and settlement network.

This year, the Cashless Payments Summit, being organized by Vukani Communications will also feature speakers like Farieda Mayet from Huawei who will showcase new developments in technological infrastructure that enable a successful digital economy, Brett Williams from Zapper will be evaluating how and why banks and retailers need to collaborate in the cashless system.  Arthur Matsaudza from stock exchange listed digital solutions giant, Cassava Smartech, which owns Ecocash will be looking at the constant race to innovate, deliver and thrive despite a myriad of operational challenges in the cashless sphere while Reneitte Van der Merwe from ABSA, will be talking about cashless payments in the informal economy. Tracey Sibanda for Vukani Communications

A new, highly-efficient mobile blockchain developed in Africa is set to acquire large-scale consumer adoption by 2021

Monday, 23 October 2018: DéMars (DMC), a mobile money platform and new blockchain protocol for the young emerging market is lite, fast, scalable, private, secure and virtually free. It’s also the first of its kind developed in Africa.Until now, various technological issues have held back large-scale consumer adoption of blockchain technology. Many early adopters have abandoned Bitcoin, Ripple, and Ethereum due to poor user experience.

DéMars provides a new infrastructure, the beta version of which will be revealed by the end of Q2 2019.The new technology aims to deliver financial services for the 1.7bn primarily young, unbanked adults in developing markets like Sub-Saharan Africa, of whom two thirds own a mobile phone. The “Banking as a Service Platform” will reduce the high cost of remittances to and within developing markets and enable access to simple lending, insurance and savings products. This is made possible via a smart contract escrow feature, where you can place a classified advert on the network and trade goods, services and cash with others. The solution responds to the resultant demand after global products failed to provide any real utility for the African consumer since they aren’t designed for a data constrained environment. In addition, global products don’t support micro transactions and rely on credit card payments.

The Founder of DMC, a South African now residing in Mauritius, Shaun Burrow, a banker by profession, states: “I started researching the entry-level market, and I was simply blown away to learn that 1.7 billion adults don’t have access to basic financial services and to learn that in the remittance space, families are paying about 45 billion US dollars a year in fees on the funds they are sending home. This is money being diverted from the poorest of the poor. The cost of payments to Sub-Saharan Africa and within Sub-Saharan Africa are the highest in the world, they range from 10 - 20 % of the money being sent home. It’s simply an unjust tax on ordinary, hardworking people.”

A mobile first for Africa

DéMars has worked out a more efficient way (versus other protocols like Bitcoin and Ethereum) to transfer data and validate transactions. The key innovation is a novel blockchain protocol which leverages a hypercube distributed hash table (similar technology to that used in file sharing speeds up the network and allows it to scale efficiently.All transactions are completely private as they are only stored on your mobile phone as unlike in the case of bitcoin or Ethereum it is not necessary to download the entire blockchain, which is a complete waste of data. There is also no centralized or decentralized servers as the network is stored and “lives” on the users’ phones. This means it’s completely distributed and free of censorship.

Best of all, the network and application are free and it is owned by its users. All transactions are virtually free too. All you need to access it is the native currency, DMC.

Only 10 Billion DMC, the cryptocurrency, will ever be issued, so there is a limited supply. The project is currently pre-selling 8 Billion coins to raise funds for further development with an initial selling price of €10 (R170) for 1000 coins. The price will increase by 10% for each round of 500m coins sold.Once deployed, entrepreneurs and developers will be able to build apps and offer services on the network too.

Trade local, pay global

The new digital currency falls under all three categories of digital currency. It has transactional uses, like Bitcoin. It’s the native currency of a platform, like Ethereum, and it’s has utility as it is designed to fulfil a specific task, like Ripple

A new global currency is under construction

The new currency has features that cross multiple traditional forms. In evaluating this new currency, we should rethink everything. Technology is fundamentally changing financial interaction and the new peer to peer decentralised currencies, including DMC, are taking the lead in this transformation. This is a currency you own and you control. No bank or government can take it away from you and you can choose to exchange it with whomever you please.

“The current financial infrastructure is like an old road, full of potholes, tolls and dilapidated petrol stations. DéMars is digging the tunnels and laying the sleepers to build a new railway line - in fact, it’s more like a hyper loop. And DMC is the electricity which will power the new system. It’s a new high-speed train with better and more convenient stations,” concludes Shaun Burrow, Founder of DMC.  

ENDS 

Editor’s Note

About DéMars

DéMars is a next generation blockchain protocol. The infrastructure is designed to reduce data trans-fers and energy consumption. The network's design enables it to run on decentralised mobile phone nodes, whilst maintaining a high level of cryptographic security and protection from double-spending. The protocol is designed for micro-currency exchanges and payments in a distributed and decentralised marketplace. As the network grows, through use of our Application, the technology can be extended to informal trades in goods and services, micro-lending and to insurance con-tracts.

For all press enquiries please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 081 534 6237 

CASHCLOUD releases all NEW latest tech Android Mobile Application.

CASHCLOUD prides itself on being an affordable mobile banking solution, since 2014. A great option for all South Africans, tourists and foreign individuals alike! An easy online application process with self-registration and two account options, CASHCLOUD caters to everyone. 

Offering a basic range of transactional services, CASHCLOUD’s vision is to be easily accessible and inclusive. CASHCLOUD’s current services include loans and prepaid purchases, with tailor-made funeral covers, money transfers and savings options in the pipeline.

CASHCLOUD offers a fresh approach to banking accessibility. No paperwork, no queues in branches, no calls on hold, no fuss! Keeping in line with wider connectedness, CASHCLOUD offers multiple channels to communicate on, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.

The new CASHCLOUD App features:

• Self-registration,
• WhatsApp call centre,
• Statement download to device,
• Airtime and Data in app purchases,
• Online purchases,
• Card delivery to your door  

This all contributes to make CASHCLOUD a truly mobile solution! It not only allows instant, fast access to all services, but also saves its clients the unnecessary transport costs to and from branches as well airtime costs when dealing with queries over the phone.

CASHCLOUD’s all-new simple, functional and intuitive design offering makes for a great  mobile experience and instant way of banking anytime, anywhere.The CASHCLOUD Mobile App will deliver customers a fast and easy way to set up an account and start banking, without ever having to step into a branch.

The CASHCLOUD Mobile App will be available for download from the Google play store from 10 July, 2018. 

PayApp has launched DigiBanQ, the first digital-only, digital currency bank, built on cutting edge mobile-first web technology, integrating seamlessly into the customer's digital lives, both customers and merchants can register online or on a mobile device in 90 seconds flat without downloading anything.

PayApp DigibanQ offers everyday banking options via current and savings/deposits accounts, with the ability to be able to pay digitally direct from any internet enabled device, furthermore, customers will be able to make payments to anyone, anywhere, anytime simply by using a mobile number either on the web-app or via USSD.

With PayApp DigiBanQ there is no minimum balance requirement, no maintenance fees, and 0% transaction fees. A customer/Merchants account number is their mobile phone number, this is also used for customer authentication together with strict digital core infrastructure security, making the platform extremely secure.

Brian Dalton, a founder of PayApp DigiBanQ, said: “The launch of DigiBank marks an important step in the evolution of the global digital currency market. DigiBanQ’s currency “Nuggets” has been developed to be highly stable in stark contrast to the volatility of both fiat and all other digital currencies. The differentiation is that Nuggets is designed as a transactional currency and not as a speculative currency.

Contact details:

Brian Dalton, CEO
tel 012 994 4713
mobile 0840867895
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
webiste www.payapp.co.za

Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

FinMark Trust together with the Bank of Lao PDR, and the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) of Lao have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 November 2014 for the FinScope Consumer Lao 2014 survey. The FinScope Consumer survey, the first of its kind in Lao, which is a nationally representative study on how individuals source their income and how they manage their financial lives will commence in November 2014 and is due for completion in January 2015.  The survey is a priority in “Making Access Possible (MAP)” and part of the “Making Access to Finance more Inclusive for Poor People (MAFIPP)” programme.   The survey sample entails 255 villages representing rural and urban communities with eight families in each village to be interviewed. The survey will focus on information related to agriculture, income and expenses for rural people, savings, investment in the family business, household construction, loans, money transfers, infrastructure and ICT access.   This survey on financial services accessibility in the country, intends to address the shortage of available information on the demand for financial services among the poor households.. The NSB views the survey as contributing to the review and implementation of the Seventh National Socio- Economic Development Plan as well as planning for the next five years in Lao.

FinScope

FinScope was launched in 2002 by FinMark Trust (www.finmark.org.za).  Its purpose is to establish credible benchmarks on the use of, and access to, financial services in South Africa.  It is designed to highlight opportunities for innovation in products and delivery. The FinScope survey is a comprehensive and national representative study on financial inclusion, looking at how people source their income and manage their financial lives. It has been implemented in 19 countries (11 in SADC, 5 non-SADC Africa and 3 in Asia). The FinScope survey is currently being implemented in 3 more countries in Asia and 4 in the SADC region (1 first cycle and 3 repeat surveys).  

Editorial contact:
FinMark Trust  Nitha Ramnath (Ms) Communication Manager

Tel:  011 315-9197 / 0829214769 Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

About FinMark Trust

FinMark Trust, an independent trust based in Johannesburg, South Africa, was established in 2002, and is funded primarily by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) through its Southern Africa office.  FinMark Trust’s purpose is ‘Making financial markets work for the poor, by promoting financial inclusion and regional financial integration’. FinMark Trust does this by conducting research to identify the systemic constraints that prevent financial markets from reaching out to these consumers and by advocating for change on the basis of research findings. Please visit www.finmark.org.za for more information.

Do you want to gain a global perspective on pricing and billing? Do you want to get value from your pricing strategies? Do you want to meet your customers’ expectations and retail them regardless of price changes? Have you acquired enough price negotiation skills? How many pricing models and billing systems have been exposed to? You will be provided with answers on these important questions at the Pricing & Billing Conference on 19 & 20 November at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Johannesburg.

The conference does not promise a panacea for all pricing and billing challenges, but it will explore vital aspects that will enable you and your company to maintain a healthy and balanced relationship with your customers. It will provide you with tools to efficiently structure your prices at the same time not upsetting your company/customer relations and ensure growth on profit margins.

Network and take advantage of this opportunity to compare notes and interact with your fellow colleagues and professionals working in various sections such as product pricing, transfer pricing, payments processing & pricing, markets pricing & risk, transactional products pricing, actuarial pricing product development, product market research, risk & capital management, commercial billing & support, billing management, business analysis, core banking projects, client value management, value optimisation, customer relationship management, client profitability, sales & marketing, underwriting, auditing, accounts, transaction & forex products, business enablement & wealth, customer service & billing, costing & pricing analysis, billing & IT, procurement & supply chain, revenue management, financial planning, wholesale billing services, billing & production.

Trade Conferences International is well known in the financial industry, with more than 1200 delegates attending our financial events during the past 12 years.

To register, visit our financial conferences website at www.financialconferences.co.za to download the brochure, complete the registration form and fax it to us on 086 582 2981, or email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information please contact Naison Chilenge, Project Manager at TCI on +27 11 803 1553 or alternatively email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.tci-sa.co.za/gain-a-global-perspective-on-pricing-billing-strategies

Johannesburg, South Africa- This article aims to notify you about Trade Conferences International (TCI)’s upcoming conference so that you can diarise it. The Pricing & Billing Conference 2014 will be held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Johannesburg on the 19 & 20 November 2014.A carefully selected panel of industry experts will share their research based presentations and impart vital information with delegates. Pricing and billing challenges, solutions and strategies will be discussed. Great networking opportunities will be afforded and new contacts established. You will also be treated to insightful case studies to give a practical perspective to the whole conference.

Topics are designed to cover a wide scope of all the vital and pertinent areas of the pricing and billing space. Some of the topics to be discussed include; evolution of pricing models, global pricing and billing trends, value-based pricing strategies, product pricing management strategies, pricing and billing strategies to improve profitability, pricing and customer dynamics, product and pricing life-cycle management, exploring relationship pricing models, negotiations of new prices, pricing and billing standardisations, transfer pricing regulations, managing transfer pricing risks and compliance in cross-border transfer pricing.

Besides learning and gaining new insights on current trends and strategies on pricing and billing, the conference will provide you with a great opportunity to compare notes and interact with your fellow colleagues and professionals working in various sections such as product pricing, transfer pricing, payments processing & pricing, markets pricing & risk, transactional products pricing, actuarial pricing product development, product market research, risk & capital management, commercial billing & support, billing management, business analysis, core banking projects, client value management, value optimisation, customer relationship management, client profitability, sales & marketing, underwriting, auditing, accounts, transaction & forex products, business enablement & wealth, customer Service & billing, costing & pricing analysis, billing & IT, procurement & supply chain, revenue management, financial planning, wholesale billing services, billing & Production.

Trade Conferences International is well known by the financial industry, with more than 1200 delegates attending our financial events during the past 2 years.To register, complete the registration form on the brochure and fax it to us on 086 582 2981, or email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information please contact Naison Chilenge, Project Manager at TCI on +27 11 803 1553 or alternatively email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.MORE ABOUT THE ORGANISER - www.tci-sa.co.za REQUEST A BROCHURE - Email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES - Email Sian Wirth, Marketing Manager- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

http://www.financialconferences.co.za/Pages/Event6.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --- 17/09/2014

Verifying the identity of an individual has never been easier with the new real time ID verification with photograph checks from V-Report.

No matter if you are opening accounts within the retail or banking sectors or assisting the job market in finding alternative employment, this verification can reduce your risk as well as the occurrence of potential fraud. Have you ever wondered how many times you have had a fraudulent identity document in front of you, but been none the wiser. Now V-Report can take care of the guesswork for you.

When using our new ID verification with photograph checks, you will receive real time confirmation to your inbox confirming the validity of an individual's personal information as well as the photograph on file associated with that individual at the South African Home Affairs Department. V-Report has two ID Verification with photograph checks on offer, the first option will verify the name and surname to the identity number provided and supply the associated photograph. The second option has more demographical information supplied, such as age, gender, citizenship and death status with the associated photograph being supplied.

Shane Meintjes, MD of V-Report said "V-Report has been on a drive to supply and source quality services and checks for our clients to help reduce fraud and the risks involved, we believe that our new real time ID verification checks are a big step in the right direction."

Once again, trying to assist clients as speedily as possible in making decisions, V-Report will soon be bringing the big four credit bureau's Transunion, Experian, Xpert Decision Systems (XDS) and Compuscan with real time credit checks to your inbox. Another positive step in the right direction we believe.

V-Report for your perusal can be found at www.v-report.co.za, 

We can be contact on (011) - 432-4416 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. anytime.

The Grow Your Business Expo, supported by the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) and MTN Business will take place on 30 July 2014 in Polokwane at the Jack Botes Hall.

The expo brings together small business owners and corporate role players to communicate a process of helping to run and grow successful entities.   Role players that support Limpopo’s Enterprise Development are provided with a platform to connect business owners with resources and tools needed to start, learn, manage and grow their companies.  This will create employment and contribute positively to families and the community, which will ultimately increase the vitality of the local economy.

The Grow Your Business Expo is the ideal opportunity for corporate role players to share their products and services that will match with small businesses that need access to skills, knowledge, finance and markets.  

Funama Productions are hosting the expo; CEO Masetha Serakoana says “the expo is a vital platform for small businesses to link with institutions offering funding, financial assistance and business related products and services. We will also have representatives from the institutions presenting their company offerings. The Business Lounge area will cater for one-on-one meeting sessions offering free advice and consultations with specialists during the expo. My Success Story corner will share achievement stories; this area will also serve as an opportunity for corporate companies to showcase thriving SMEs that they have empowered.  SARS will also be there offering free tax workshops.”

Entrance to the Grow Your Business Expo is R25.00 per person, doors open at 08h00.

Ends

For further information, please contact: Masetha Serakoana E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Telephone 086 111 1471 - www.funama.co.za