In order to grow globally African, and in particular Southern African banks, focusing on transaction banking will open up new avenues of revenue generation. Africa has become increasingly integrated into the global financial system. To succeed locally continuous innovation is required for seamless cross-border transactions and cash management, bearing in mind the various regulations, risks, the practicalities of moving cash and varying exchange control rules.

Attending the Global Transaction Banking Conference on 9 and 10 July 2014 will answer questions on how the latest innovations, technologies and strategies are going to rapidly transform the local transaction banking environment.

Key industry leaders like Nicky Weimar, Senior Economist at Nedbank; Rodger Dunn, Head: Transaction Banking at Sasfin Bank; Anthony van Eden, Chief Operating Officer at Strate; Nerina Visser, Head of Beta and ETF’s at Nedbank Capital; Brad Gillis, Chief Executive Officer: Regulated Markets at Bankserv Africa; David Robinson, Head: Collection Products – Transactional Products and Services at Standard Bank; Tertius Vermeulen, Chief Executive Officer at Trustlink (Swift SA Business Partner); Jean Groenewaldt, Senior Manager: Financial Surveillance at SA Reserve Bank, Stephen Meintjes, Head: Traditional Trade Products at Standard Bank; Josephat Mutepfa, Senior Executive: National Payments Systems at Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and Charles Guise-Brown, Chief Executive Officer at Qualica Technologies and many more, are just some of the top class professionals who will be addressing the conference.

Register to attend the Global Transaction Banking Conference 2014 to gain insight on how to optimise current products and services in the transaction banking environment, and gain knowledge to respond to corporate requirements the FIRST time round.

Sebastian Gazi, Project Manager at Trade Conferences International said, “A lack of regional monetary zones until recently has made payments processing progressively difficult thus it has become important to improve and diversify transaction banking products and services to meet international standards. Investments in Africa are increasing exponentially and hence the need to make your organization the preferred point of entry for corporates who are involved in trade transactions globally, but particularly in Africa.”

To register for the Global Transaction Banking Conference 2014, complete the registration form fround on the TCI website and return it to Trade Conferences International on 086 582 2981. Alternativley call 011 803 1553 to speak to the project manager.

[24 April 2014] Actis, the pan-emerging markets investor, has today announced that is has established Credit Services Holdings (CSH), a buy-and-build credit services business. CSH’s first investment will be acquiring 100% of Compuscan, the largest independent credit bureau in Africa. Actis will be investing in CSH alongside the Compuscan management team, who will continue to manage the Compuscan business. Actis plans to invest $100m into the platform. To assist in the build-out of the platform, Michael Jordaan, formerly CEO of South Africa’s First National Bank and a leading figure in the African financial services industry, has been appointed as Chairman of CSH. 

Founded by CEO Remo Lenisa, Compuscan is the fastest growing bureau in South Africa and one of the largest on the continent. Headquartered in Stellenbosch, with offices in Johannesburg and Kampala, it provides multiple credit data, decision analytics services and training, to over 3,500 clients including banks, telcos, retailers, microcredit institutions and insurers, across several countries including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda and Ethiopia. The Data Analytics team in Compuscan operates under the Scoresharp brand and is led by Pieter Van Heerden.   

Actis has a proven track record of buy-and-build financial infrastructure investments. In 2010, it established Emerging Markets Payments Holdings (EMPH), which offers payment processing services across Africa and the Middle East. Today EMPH has the broadest footprint of any payments company in Africa, contracting with 130 banks and operates in 40 countries across the region. 

Commenting on the transaction, Jonathan Matthews, Director in Actis’s Johannesburg office, said: “Actis is backing an excellent and entrepreneurial management team led by CEO Remo Lenisa and we are delighted to attract Michael Jordaan to help build the brand and take it to the next stage of growth. Only 5% of adults in Africa are covered by credit bureaus compared with 64% in OECD countries, and many countries are still without the necessary bureau infrastructure. We are excited to be investing in Compuscan and making the first steps towards bridging that gap.”   

Ali Mazanderani Actis’s Africa Financial Services lead added: “There is huge potential in the emerging market credit services industry. We see this as the first in a series of investments in the space and the natural next step after EMPH and Paycorp, in building financial infrastructure in the region.  Credit bureaus have the potential to reduce loan interest rates as well as decrease the number of non-performing loans, while increasing financial access, credit expansion and ultimately economic growth.”  

Commenting on the investment and Actis’s investment thesis, Remo Lenisa, CEO of Compuscan, said: “Actis’s experience combined with its global footprint and sector specialisation, means that it is uniquely positioned to support us and to grow CSH both organically and through acquisitions.” 

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. 

About Actis
Actis invests exclusively in the emerging markets with a growing portfolio of investments in Asia, Africa and Latin America; it currently has US$7 billion funds under management. Combining the expertise of over 120 investment professionals on the ground in nine countries, Actis identifies investment opportunities in three areas: private equity, energy and real estate. Over 40% of Actis’s investments are located in Africa with over $1.9 billion invested  across 18 countries on the continent. Actis is proud to actively and positively grow the value of those companies in which it invests and in so doing, contribute to broader society.www.act.is  

About Compuscan
Compuscan is a full service credit bureau. Established in South Africa in 1994, Compuscan has become the leading provider of credit management solutions in emerging markets. The company currently operates in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda, Lesotho and Ethiopia. Compuscan provides credit managements services in three parts: as a credit bureau operator, providing credit scoring and data analytics and as an expert credit training academy. Being a reputable and trustworthy provider of customised and innovative applications, Compuscan helps people to make smart business decisions throughout the credit life-cycle to minimise risk and maximise profits, while at the same time educating the consumer to prevent over-indebtedness and reckless borrowing.

With over 120 years combined experience in the operation of credit bureaus, Compuscan’s highly skilled, knowledgeable and passionate group of directors, management team and staff have what it takes to provide world-class credit management services.www.compuscan.co.za

For more information:

Gillian Findlay

Glasshouse

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 82 330 1477
+27 11 486 3561

{pp}Keeping labour costs down has often been the mantra of large corporates reliant on blue collar workers to bring in their profits. For many years prior to 1994, manual and blue collar workers were denied the rights that many others took for granted. Medical Aid was rarely factored in to their measly wages and very little appears to have changed.

[Pressportal.co.za] Web 2.0, is it the future of the internet or simply another buzzword? Chris Rowe, founder of innovative recruitment site, Employmint, is using the Web 2.0 model to turn the recruitment business on its head.

[Pressportal.co.za] The Paramount Group and Aerosud have announced that they have acquired the full complement of French designed Mirage F1 fighter aircraft from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

[Pressportal.co.za] Following the global alliance announcement between the Paramount Group and Mahindra Defence Systems, comes the news that the alliance partners have teamed up with the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in Jordan to develop a highly mobile light strike vehicle, based on the highly successful Black Iris.

[Pressportal.co.za] Denel and the Paramount Group have announced that they have reached an in- principle agreement that the Goshawk 350 Optronic Observation System will be offered as an option on the Paramount SEEKER manned aerial observation platform.

[Pressportal.co.za] The Paramount Group has been appointed by Seabird Aviation Jordan to be the exclusive distributor for the SEEKER SB7 aerial observation platform in Western, Eastern, Southern and Central Africa, and to the Central Asian Republics.