CM Trading has been awarded the Best Performing Broker in Africa by Africa investor (Ai) at a recent function at NASDAQ in New York.  The annual Ai Capital Market Index Series Awards showcase the best of Africa’s investment success stories and CM Trading is proud to be recognised as the best in this prestigious award ceremony and sought after category.

Up against some stiff competition with nine other nominees in the Best Performing Broker in Africa category, CM Trading was the winner, with Head of Business Development Paul Venter citing the company’s smooth performance throughout the year as commitment to ensuring its client’s trading in the often complex world of Forex trading and development of a unique range of products and services that make CM Trading, well, simply the best!  

Daniel Kibel, Director, CM Trading says: “Although this is something that we knew we could win, an award of this nature is recognition of the amazing work that each and every one of our teams is doing each every day to push CM Trading forward.  I accepted this award in person, but I was representing our employees as well as the values and trust that are the cornerstones of our business and so key to our success.  While we still have much to do, we are definitely on the map and very much heading in the right direction.”

Hubert Danso, CEO and Vice Chairman of Africa investor said “Africa’s capital markets continue to provide some of the most attractive propositions for investors globally.  This has been proven in particular by our Ai40 Investors Index, which recently broke through the significant 100-point mark and has been on a bull run for the largest part of 2017.  We are therefore delighted that these awards once again showcase the institutions and CEOs from the Ai Index Series at the forefront of delivering world class returns and improving Africa’s capital market investment profile.” 

“With CM Trading offering clients the best Forex trading experience and having our commitment, our clients and our teams success recognised with this award, there can be nothing but victory in our futures,” concludes Venter.  “When dealing with foreign exchange, with money and with people’s investments, it is so important to be transparent and to treat each client with the same respect, courtesy and transparency – not matter what their investment.” 

CM Trading is “Your local international broker” and is a leading provider of derivative trading solutions to the local and international market.   The company, regulated by the South African Financial Services Board, operates successfully around the globe and assists in increasing their clients trading knowledge, providing personal service and support as well as a range of online solutions to match every traders needs. 

For more information on CM Trading please visit their website https://www.cmtrading.com/, or contact them on +27 10 500 80 26 or via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also follow them on Twitter @CMTrading_FX and Facebook @CapitalMarketsTrading.

When trying to navigate the complex and often overwhelming web of forex trading, it is important to have a partner you can trust, one that can act quickly, efficiently and provide you with the best advice and products for your portfolio.  CM Trading is the company that offers its clients all this and more and has become the leading provider of derivative trading solutions to the local and international market.  

Since its establishment in 2012 CM Trading has built up a reputation for being able to answer its clients needs either personally, with the development of new and unique software solutions, or by providing webinars, training videos, technical analysis and e-books – all for free.  CM Trading’s aim is to make sure your individual trading goals are met in a responsible way. 

Offering a transparent trading environment to the retail market, CM Trading offers many services including:

• Guardian Angel – an intelligent automated trading assistant that encourages responsible trading
• Copy Kat – a social trading platform that allows traders to see what other traders are doing and then follow them/copy them as they see fit
• Trading Central – this is a leading market analysis website from which clients can glean information to help make informed decisions
• Live market summary
• Web trader

“Trading is a long-term activity, it’s best to not trade on emotions or beyond your means to ensure continued growth. At the end of the day you can’t change the volatility of the market, responsible trading will help make certain to protect you from it,” says Paul Venter Head of Business Development.

“CM Trading also offers support with the intricacies of Cryptocurrency trading.  This market is often complex and convoluted but it doesn’t have to be – it can be easy and enjoyable and can turn your world around – with the right tools and backing.  Even institutions have begun trading cryptocurrencies with CM Trading as they realise that this phenomenon has the potential to boost control of their trade.” 

An FSB-regulated company, CM Trading offers the best trading experience both locally and internationally and is a source of information and a conduit to successful trading on any and all trading platforms including: Forex Trading, CFD Trading, Stocks, Cryptocurrencies, Indicies Trading, Commodities Trading and Currency Trading. 

For more information on CM Trading please visit their website  https://www.cmtrading.com, or contact them on +27 10 500 80 26 or via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also follow them on Twitter @CMTrading_FX and Facebook @CapitalMarketsTrading.

Property purchasing peeves for 60-somethings 

You would think that upon reaching your golden years you are of an age to qualify to do pretty much anything – you’ve worked hard, earned your dues and own your own home. However, when it comes to buying property, for 60-somethings things do get a little harder as they find themselves faced with bank mandates, age restrictions and all sorts of conditions, and the inevitable hard-to-read fine print. 

Unless you have cash in the bank (or under your mattress) you would be advised to look beyond the bank – many don’t work in this space and are also reluctant to grant new 20-year mortgages to senior citizens, this despite the fact that the National Credit Act stipulates that one cannot be discriminated against when applying for finance on grounds of race, religion, sex and age. The banks may consider helping out under certain conditions and will do so at their discretion but will also be very stringent in assessing your risk and affordability – there are some instances where they may consider a loan if your pension is deposited there but typically this is an arduous route to follow. 

It’s rather surprising that financial institutions are not looking at this mature market which is fast becoming a key driver of growth in the property sector.  A recent report from FNB’s Estate Agent Survey stated that the group of sellers selling “to downscale due to life-stage” was by far the largest single group of home-sellers in the third quarter of 2017.  

Charmaine Large, Executive Home Loans consultant at Evo Group, says what they are seeing is that retired or nearly retired borrowers may well have low debt, substantial assets and home equity, but may also be on a fixed income or pension and if that income is lower than what they used to earn this can hamper the approval of a home loan for their retirement home.  She adds that bridging finance has now become a popular port of call for 60-somethings. 

Iza Albutt, Marketing Manager at Bridge Flow, a Cape Town-based bridging finance company, says that they are able to accommodate this mature market looking to sell their family homes to buy in retirement villages with customisable finance solutions. “Unlike the banks, we don’t look at affordability based on income, we look to their assets and ensure that a firm exit strategy is in place, taking the time to find a way to help and explain every step of the process, and the incumbent expenses that can arise.”   

A typical scenario where bridging finance can be of assistance is where an individual or couple wish to downscale, or acquire a property in a retirement home, and have found exactly what they have been looking for but have as yet not sold their existing un-bonded home. 

The bridging finance company will assist the client/s in acquiring the home and secure the loan to them by registering a mortgage bond over the existing property affording them a six-month period, with the possibility of an extension of time, in order to sell their existing property and to repay the bridging company the loan. It’s important to for retirees to know that other options do exist so that they can make an informed decision to make that all-important move, and to feel safe and secure, giving themselves and their children peace of mind. 

South Africa has clinched 8th place as a top global offshore location for finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) further augmenting its position as the top Offshoring Destination of 2016 by the Global Sourcing Association. This was one of the key findings in the 2017-2018 Global FAO Market Intelligence Survey published by research firm, Knowledge Executive.

A total of 126 large enterprises in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States participated in the survey and disclosed their finance and accounting (F&A) investment plans; pain points and challenges; skills, technology and service provider requirements; and favourite offshore locations.

South Africa’s significant rise is due in part to its high-end, specialised F&A skills and its ability to deploy the latest finance and accounting technology such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

The survey noted that RPA is being utilised to optimise and push through repetitive F&A processes. While there is uncertainty around RPA, 12% of respondents indicated that they would use RPA to replace mundane, repetitive F&A tasks while 25% will use RPA to automate entire end-to-end F&A processes. When looking at general technology deployment, up to 16% of respondents said that they would boost the deployment of RPA in the next year.

Deloitte says RPA is already saving companies substantial amounts of time and money. “In some instances, we have found that RPA is 15 times more efficient than humans and offers a 15% to 90% cost reduction opportunity depending on the characteristics of the function to which it is being applied,” says Francois Burger, Finance & Accounting Outsourcing Leader at Deloitte who was one of the associate sponsors of the survey. “However RPA is not a ‘once-off’ technology implementation but a capability that needs to be continuously managed. It is about redeploying human talent and letting the robots do what they do so well, which can free up finance talent to address activities that are less repetitive and add more value.

”Robotics, says WNS, offers more accuracy at faster speeds; companies can scale with more volume-based transactions and with little increase in cost. “We foresee more companies investing in robotics and using it as a key differentiator for routine-based tasks. But you need a short to medium RPA plan in order to be effective,” says Alicia Kistan, Senior General Manager: Shared Services at WNS that was also an associate sponsor of the survey.

“Technology is and must, be seen as an enabler, and there are so many repetitive and transactional-based F&A functions that can be automated. These include invoice processing, accounts receivables, journals and general ledgers. This can evolve into business analytics that are rules based and generate better insights and accurate outputs.” Accounting-as-a-Service (AaaS)The survey also revealed that advancements in Business-Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS) and Accounting-as-a-Service (AaaS) would drive greater outsourcing opportunities and investment plans. “Companies are looking at innovation and how to utilise new technologies and cloud-based services from their F&A providers to drive efficiencies and quality of service. As-a-service and subscription-based F&A solutions are rapidly gaining momentum,” says Deloitte.

WNS concurs, saying that the big theme is around transformation. “CFO’s are looking for value creations from their outsourced partners. They want to streamline F&A services by investing in technology to make them more seamless and efficient. Ultimately, the focus is on improving productivity and unlocking business insights through data analytics and incorporating the use of intelligent tools or robots.”

For more insights on Robotics Process Automation:  https://www.wns.co.za/insights/articles/articledetail/361/doing-the-robot

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

Dr Rob Smorfitt, an authority on SMEs and their funding, is one of four featured speakers at the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business (PCB), Business 2020, workshops.

Two workshops are being held at the Chamber offices in Pietermaritzburg – one for start-ups on Tuesday 24 and a second for established businesses on Wednesday 25 March 2015.

Rob is a portfolio entrepreneur having owned and run a range of businesses over the years, spanning the telecommunications, IT and Internet fields as well as specialised education. He has lectured and administered programme for three universities and believes in “paying back” through the work he does in supervising students working on their PhD, Masters, and Honours-level theses.

Rob’s passion for small business is demonstrated through his involvement in funding fairs. In conjunction with KZN Provincial Treasury Rob is again presenting KZN SME Funding Fairs this year. There will be five this year with the first one being in Richards Bay with others to follow in Margate, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg and Durban through 2015. These funding fairs are for businesses seeking between R1m and R30m in investment, in the form of debt, grant and/or equity finance.  

Rob will be speaking at Business 2020 on funding fairs and their potential role in assisting you to fund your business. He will also talk on other recent development in funding through crowdfunding platforms.  

The speakers on the 24th will be focusing their input on start-ups and new businesses (concept, or start-up businesses, or those under three years since their establishment). The workshop on the 25th will be focused around the needs of established SME businesses.  

Bryce Biggs of Bryce Biggs Consulting is coordinating the Business 2020 workshops on behalf of the PCB. For more details on the workshops, which will take place at the Chamber offices in Pietermaritzburg, contact Lorna Jones on 033 345 2747 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

National Debt Advisors                                 
Tel. 021 007 1688

http://www.nationaldebtadvisors.co.za/

National Debt Advisors Makes a Donation to the Brothers for All Ex-Offenders’ Programme  

Cape Town, Western Cape: The National Debt Advisors team took a daytrip to Langa Township on Friday, 13 March to visit the Brothers for All Coding Centre and make a donation of 10 desktop computers, after the Centre was burglarised.  

The programme equips inmates, ex-offenders and vulnerable youth with computer coding and entrepreneurial skills, with a view to breaking the poverty-crime cycle that so many young South Africans are caught in. The Brothers for All Coding Centre was launched in September 2014 by rehabilitated ex-offenders, Sihle Tshabalala and Mzi Duda, who manage and run the Centre.  

Founder of Brothers for All, Sihle Tshabalala said of the Coding Centre,

‘All of these computers are used to teach coding. It’s the first school in the continent that offers a computer science curriculum that is done in the township.’

CEO of National Debt Advisors, Sebastien Alexanderson addressed the students, explaining

‘The minute we found out that you guys had your computers robbed, we thought, let’s help out’.  

The goals of this particular programme overlap with those of NDA, as they too are looking to provide South Africans with a better quality of life by improving their financial situations. Subsequently, NDA decided to donate their spare PCs to Brothers for All in support of equipping ex-prisoners with marketable skills, so they don’t have to resort to crime to support themselves financially.      

Contact NDA at http://www.nationaldebtadvisors.co.za/contact-us/

To make a donation to Brothers for All visit http://www.brothersforall.org/donate  

National Debt Advisors is a NCR regulated debt counselling firm offering official debt counselling and personal debt management services, as well as financial advice and budgeting guidance. NDA helps individuals all over South Africa to reduce their current debt, through a new restructured payment plan with their credit providers. 

How does cash type vary from economy to economy? How is the industry dealing with the risks associated with handling physical cash? Do you know how to optimize cash management?

Attend the 2nd Annual Future of Cash Conference 2014 and get answers to the above questions and many more from high level representative companies such as G4S Deposita, Lehaha Institue, ATMiA, ABSA Capital, MobiFlock, SBV, PayU, Jomat, UNISA, University of Witwatersrand, ABSA and Glory Global Solutions who will address delegates at the 2nd Annual conference taking place at Indaba Hotel, Fourways on 12-13 November 2014.

This conference follows hot on the heels of the first Future of Cash that took place last year with over 75 attendees that were addressed by top tier executives in the industry covering key topics surrounding cash positioning, channel management, bank notes and transactional strategies to name a few.

Cash industry experts and thought leaders who will be addressing the conference include:Patrick Cunningham, ATMiA; Prof. Jannie Rossouw, University of Witwatersrand; Fanie Joubert, Unisa; Richard McMurdo, Glory Global Solutions; Jodie Hill, Jomat; Vanessa Clark, MobiFlock; Marius Odendaal, G4S Deposita; Oliver Magabane, Barclays Africa; Ideshini Naidoo, Absa Capital; Andrew Mosae, Lehaha Institute; Peter Williams, SBV; James Readding, Cashnet Logistics; Mustapha Zaouini, PayU.

These speakers will discuss key issues at the 2nd Annual Future of Cash Conference on 12-13 November 2014 taking place at Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg.

Email the project manager, Nadine Bezuidenhout at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more information.

Alternatively call 011 803 1553 and speak to the marketing manager for exhibition, sponsorship or media partnership deals.

Website: www.tci-sa.co.za/2nd-annual-future-of-cash-conference-to-knock-your-socks-off-this-november

We are thrilled to announce that both the public and private sectors appear to recognize the value of board diversity as BPW SA has been approached in the last month alone, to assist with eleven board vacancies for women on our Register.  Women and men have different interests and perspectives in important areas, and boards are starting to see the importance of utilising these varying experiences to tackle the tremendous challenges. 

BPW SA and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) want boards of directors to widen the search for talent by looking beyond the traditional pool of executives and bring new potential to light.  It is for this reason that we have joined forces to provide a Women on Boards programme to create a Register of female leaders in South Africa who are excellently trained and, as a result, are highly sought after by Boards.  After all, why on earth would you voluntarily exclude half the smart people?

Our first group of 19 senior women, all thoroughly trained through our 9-month Women on Boards director development programme and certified by the dti, are now available on our register of Board Potential Women Directors and we urge companies to contact us for potential female directors.

Seven of our graduates are in line for board interviews , many have been interviewed by the media – both radio and magazines – and all will be profiled in the KZN Chamber of Commerce Power Book (2015). As an ongoing service to the graduates, BPW SA continues to raise their profile in an effort to access suitable board placements.  We have proven that board diversity is not a supply problem, but rather a demand problem.

BPW SA is proud to announce that we have incorporated an international module into the Women on Boards programme.  Business acumen - incorporating business finance and strategy - a must in today’s complex landscape. Business acumen is a keen understanding of what it takes for an organization to make money.  It combines financial literacy – the ability to interpret numbers on financial statements – with business literacy – recognizing how strategies and decisions impact these numbers.  Call it a sophisticated business simulation. Call it an exercise in experiential learning. Or call it a board game. Whatever you label it, the simple fact is that the training is fun and will gives participants a true competitive edge.

A recent Women on Board graduate, Tebogo Maziya, who holds a Masters degree in Science, a postgraduate diploma in finance and a B Comm degree says the nine-month journey has been fulfilling. “I learnt there’s a risk and that that risk is manageable. So it’s important for the board to be transparent and accountable and for a board member to be aware of decisions made because they will be held accountable.”  Another graduate, Amantha Maharaj, a BSc electrical engineering graduate with an MBA, who works a top management level at an engineering consultancy says of the programme: “It teaches one to know how a board is structured, what to do, and questions one needs to ask when sitting on a board. It also teaches business risk and how one should view business from a higher level. It was certainly value for money.”

For more information about our Women on Boards Programme, please visit our website at www.bpw-jhbsa.co.za or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 794-4991.

Business Results Group and GIBS presents The 10th Progress Conference on Balanced Scorecard Essentials, with Dr David Norton, Live and in Person. Dave Norton will present a one day programme in JHB on the 11th September 2014. In 2012, over 500 executives participated in his colleague, Professor Kaplan’s event in South Africa.

Dr Norton has most recently been honoured by Thinkers 50 in their Hall of Fame sharing this acclaim with Tom Peters, Warren Bennis, Howard Gardner, Charles Handy, Philip Kotler, Henry Mintzberg, Kenichi Omae, Ikujiro Nonaka and his colleague Professor Kaplan, for their mammoth contribution to business management and leadership. Harvard Business Review recognised the Balanced Scorecard as one of the most influential management ideas in the past 75 years.

The 2014 programme includes the latest findings and experience in Strategy measurement, leadership, human capital and cross functional priorities and solutions.  

This is what his clients have to say,

“Our BSC helped us to deliver superior performance, consistently and predictably in all facets of our organisation.” Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO, INFOSYS

“BSC is the strongest tool I have seen in 22 years of my career, to align people in the organisation to the corporate objectives.” Sunil Wahwa, CEO, New Delhi Power

“I am convinced that implementing the Balanced Scorecard has helped us to deliver record-breaking progress over the past 5 years.” Bill Padfield, CEO, Data Dimensions

To acquire access to Dr Dave Norton’s latest thinking, findings and solutions to execute strategy in a new economy, call Angela on 011 463 9898. For further information visit www.theprogressconference.com