The Adopt-An-SME programme is ticking off all the right boxes when it comes to developing South Africa’s SME ecosystem, close to a year since its launch.

Championed by accounting firm, SME.Tax, fintech innovator SME Snapshot and consulting firm, Decusatio, the 12-month program supports a group of entrepreneurs to use technology and networks to growth their businesses.

“Our goal is to create an ecosystem of better managed small businesses. We are building reputable businesses that will be the benchmark of doing business in the SME landscape,” says Tyronne Nel, founder of SME Snapshot.

Marc Ashton, founder of Decusatio adds that one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses and Enterprise Development beneficiaries in South Africa is failure to break into the market and find those valuable first clients.

“We believe that by capacitating these SMEs with our team, we will help them elevate from just working in their businesses to working on their businesses,” says explains.

The programme provides strategic business content, tools and resources that enable SME owners to unlock the growth potential of their businesses. 

“Before any work begins all business owners get put through an intensive Statutory, Regulatory and Financial appraisal. We also spend some time highlighting any deficiencies before getting into the solutions,” Ken Brown, director at SME.Tax highlights. 

Tebelo Ramaboea founder of Capital Projects and Investment declares that the programme helped him turn around his struggling business. 

“We have been so fortunate to get courses that are designed to upskill entrepreneurs in all spheres of business, starting from understanding the fundamentals of business 101, cash flows and sales,” Ramaboea explains. 

Entrepreneurs also gain one-on-one mentoring sessions, monthly skills workshops as well as secretarial support to help get their business systems going. A resource that Andile Vilakazi, founder of Drone Eye Technology, says was invaluable for his business. 

“Participating in the programme has expanded my horizon when it comes to running my business and understanding my role in it. The lessons are insightful from business ideation stage to getting a system going, where your business can continue to run even if you are not there,” Vilikazi says. 

Drone Eye Technology is currently at the final stages in two different SME competitions - eKasiLabs lead by The Innovation HUB and Gauteng Accelerator Programme as well as the ‘Driving Force for Change’ support initiative by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries - the award ceremonies for both will take place on the 26th of November 2021.

“I strongly believe that the Adopt-An-SME programme played a vital part in pivoting Drone Eye Technology to where we are now. The knowledge and technology we have access to helps us focus on growing our business and not just running it,” Vilakazi exclaims. 

Corporates looking to support a SME can sign up on the website SME. Tax or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Author: Stella Pickard, CEO Quickwill 

Cape Town – For most of us, even the thought of creating a Will is tedious and somewhat grim. It’s forgivable (who wants to think about dying?), yet a Will is a critical financial planning tool that has major consequences for your family and loved ones. Sadly, many people either ignore the question of a Will or go about it in a half-hearted way – which can lead to costly mistakes that harm the financial and emotional wellbeing of loved ones. The good news is that such mistakes can be easily avoided – simply by being aware of the pitfalls around creating a Will.  

Let’s take a closer look… 

1 – You ignore a Will entirely This is unfortunately the biggest and most common mistake. Research has shown that more than 70% of South Africans pass on without a Will. The technical term for this is to die ‘intestate’ – which most often leaves the surviving family and loved ones with huge amounts of legal and administrative work, at a time when they are most wanting to be left alone to grieve and heal. The lesson here? Do not ignore your Will, and look for tools, platforms and professionals who can help you with the process.  

2 – You appoint a friend or family member as the Executor The appointment of an executor is one of the most critical elements of your Will. Yet many people don’t give this careful thought and often appoint close friends or family members to the role. This is a risky practice, primarily because personal relationships change over time and that person may not be the most suitable when the time comes. At Quickwill, we believe best practice is to assign the role to a professional executor or someone with extensive legal or financial experience (and who is somewhat removed from the family) and then assign this person the right of assumption. This route gives the executor the right to appoint an experienced lawyer, who can negotiate a fair and efficient outcome for the heirs fee for the administration of the estate.  

3 – You include assets in another country When crafting your Will, it is important to remember that if you include assets that are located abroad, this could significantly delay the execution of the Will. To avoid any lengthy delays, rather look to craft a separate Will for assets that are located abroad – keeping in mind that an executor cannot administer an estate and handle assets in a different country until your estate is settled in South Africa. If you have a separate Will for each country, then the process of executing each Will can take place simultaneously (thus eliminating any unnecessary delays).  

4 – You make changes that nullify/invalidate the Will   All too often, small mistakes are made with Wills that render them legally inadequate – which again can lead to huge heartache and administrative strain for loved ones. For example, people often fail to get all the required signatures and witnesses that are needed to ratify the document. Another common mistake is to make handwritten changes or updates to your Will, which can also nullify the document cause complications from a legal perspective.

To avoid these costly mistakes, we recommend that you look for online and automated solutions that allow you to easily manage and update your Will online – with professional help to make sure that the right steps are followed. Critically, such a platform will empower you to keep your Will updated along with the major financial and personal events that inevitably unfold.  There is no doubt that crafting a rigorous and legally binding Will is one of the most important aspects of financial wellbeing for South African families.

To get it right, make sure to educate yourself around the importance of creating a Will, and seek professional help to ensure that you follow the correct processes. At Quickwill, we believe that everyone has the right to a professional, affordable Will – so make sure that you harness all the tools available to you!  

Quickwill is a South African financial and legal technology business which aims to improve access to Justice of ordinary South Africans. The technology allows you to draft your Will online, appoint an Executor and lodge it for safe-keeping. For more information, please visit www.quickwill.co.za

Keeping abreast of technology changes affecting the banking landscape is tough. From AI and machine learning to mobile, fintechs, digital, data, cloud and many more, new developments are happening all the time.One option in making things a little bit easier to understand is to attend TCI’s upcoming BankTech Southern Africa 2020 Conference.

The BankTech 2020 conference is the only event in SA which will address the pitfalls of legacy systems and empower attendees with the right set of insights to negotiate dealing with and improving legacy systems without impacting on operations.

This event is taking place on 26 & 27 February 2020 at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg will feature close to 30 top speakers, eight sessions and a panel discussion. Attending this event will provide the ideal platform to attendees to get the latest news regarding technology developments – both locally and international.

Here are a few topics to be addresses at this event:

• Digital implementation within finance
• Why technology adoption is mandatory
• Disruption of fintechs in the financial industry
• Using behavioural economics to increase the uptake of digital banking platforms
• Fostering business growth through open banking
• How artificial intelligence will benefit financial services
• Exploiting traditional information technology frameworks in governing new technologies
• Addressing regulatory challenges through technology
• Automating fraud detection and prevention
• Embracing cloud in emerging financial services
• Deployment of traditional payment solutions in the cloud
• Big data, analytics and technology
• Data governance implications of moving to the cloud

With more than 100 banking conferences held, Trade Conferences International has for the past 10 years become the leading banking conference organiser in South Africa. With signature events such as Mobile Banking, Payments Southern Africa, Transaction Banking, AML & Financial Crime and Big Data and Analytics in Banking, TCI became a trusted conference organiser for the financial industry.

Normal registration fee: R9 500 + VAT = R10 925 p.p 

10% group registrations (3 or more): R8 550 + VAT = R9 832.50

15% group registration (5 or more): R8 075 + VAT = R9 286.25

To register as a delegate e-mail Project Manager Bandile Ngobese on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities e-mail: Ryno van Ellewee on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 011 803-1553/0009.

DoshEx, the South African Digital Asset Exchange, and global blockchain-based payment pioneer Pundi X, today (4 April) announced a strategic partnership to bring cryptocurrency  to high street retailers and local consumers. In a first for South Africa’s retail market, XPOS, the Pundi X blockchain-based point-of-sale devices and XPASS cards for cryptocurrency transactions are to be deployed at selected sites across South Africa in a co-branded roll-out with DoshEx. Blockchain-driven point-of-sale technology enables merchants to digitize their payment infrastructure on the blockchain while consumers transact in cryptocurrency in a fast, efficient and convenient manner. Blockchain – a tamper-proof, cryptography-based technology – establishes trust of the transactions among various parties. Cryptocurrency transaction within the Pundi X payment ecosystem is a hassle-free method that promotes financial inclusion as XPASS-holders will have their own financial history of the transactions on XPASS card and the associated XWallet app without the necessity for having a bank account. Rapid acceptance is envisaged as the process resembles credit-card transacting with which consumers are familiar. To enable crypto transacting, the XPASS is simply tapped on an XPOS device.

Zac Cheah, CEO and Co-founder of Pundi X Labs, commented: “XPOS is the easy, affordable access point into crypto for mainstream retailers and consumers. “Many big businesses already access the crypto benefits of trusted record-keeping transactions. Now, an XPASS card loaded with crypto enables ordinary people to embrace the crypto-future, including millions of unbanked South Africans. “Our partnership with DoshEx enables us to tap into the early-adopter market at pace as this Bryanston-based innovator has a proven track-record as a digital exchange and developer of blockchain-based solutions for leading corporates, including the South African arm of Virgin Money.” DoshEX CEO Alex de Bruyn noted: “It was essential to roll out trusted and proven technology as our objective is to rapidly build South Africa’s first point-of-sale cryptocurrency network. This is why we partnered with Pundi X. “This global technology player has deployed payment ecosystems in numerous markets, including developing economies such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Nigeria.. Its international representation stretches from London to Jakarta to Tokyo. Pundi X therefore has the resources to support a rapidly growing network in line with our vision of demystifying crypto and turning it into a generally accepted payment option.

“We believe XPOS will rapidly become your crypto ATM and transaction-enabler at your local coffee shop or high street store.” Adoption is easy. Participating merchants install XPOS technology on the counter and provide the XPASS cards, activated for a once-off fee. Cryptocurrency is preloaded by the vendor. Users then transact on XPASS. Alternatively, users can buy XPASS online from DoshEX at www.doshex.comand load crypto online. The XPOS strategy calls for phased roll-out of XPASS cards and devices, with 5000 cards available for the first wave of early adopters.  The partners will announce details of the deployment footprint as the technology becomes available in different geographic areas. De Bruyn added: “The ability to readily transact in crypto is a vital step in digital currency development. Soon it will be the norm for the public to buy, hold and sell crypto. Borderless transactions and transfers will be easy, without the high costs traditionally associated with these activities. “In the crypto-future consumers will transact in their crypto currency of choice, perhaps linked to dollars or euro. Crypto’s future is bright and Pundi X has provided the first light switch.” 

-- ENDS --

About DoshEx: DoshEx is a South African company pioneering the local development of crypto-tokens. Related DoshEx products and services include tokenised solutions for corporates and SOEs, safekeeping of funds and the design and deployment of blockchains. This digital exchange is the brainchild of a group of entrepreneurs with a background in payments and crypto-currencies. Among the innovators is Alex de Bruyn, who is young, articulate and passionate about the tokenised future. He is also DoshEx’s media spokesman. Website:  www.doshex.com Contact: Alex De BruynTel: +27 11 468-5236 

About Pundi X: Pundi X is a leading developer of blockchain-powered devices, including the world’s first point-of-sales (POS) solution enabling merchants and consumers to do transactions on the blockchain in physical stores.  Pundi X is also the developer of the first, fully-functional blockchain phone, the XPhone.  Its POS device, the XPOS, has been shipped to over 25 countries including Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA; 100,000 devices are being targeted for rollout to the global retail market by 2021.  The company is headquartered in Singapore. Its international presence includes offices in Jakarta, São Paulo, Seoul, Shenzhen, Taipei, and Tokyo.  Listed as one of the top 50 innovative fintech startups in 2018 by KPMG and H2 ventures, the company is also a member of Singapore Fintech Association, Fintech Association of Hong Kong, ACCESS, Swiss Finance and the Fintech Association.  It is also a founding member of Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia. For more information, please visit https://www.pundix.com

Eleven startups from across the African continent, identified as “entrepreneurs for humanity”, were awarded the opportunity to partner with the AfricArena challenge corporate sponsors at the end of the second AfricArena technology conference in Cape Town today.

Saturday 17 November, Cape Town – Amongst others, Air France KLM selected DiscoverIkasi and Sea Monster, both from South Africa, to assist with improving the travel experience and sustainability of its subsidiary Joon. Vinci Energie, will work with Senegal’s Oniriq and South Africa’s DataProphet on innovative energy solutions in Africa.

See the full list of winners, sponsors and challenges below.

During 2018, in the run up to AfricArena2018, 60 startups pitched their businesses in regional events in eight cities across Africa. Many of which were invited to take part in a series of challenges set by the AfricArena sponsors, all looking to solve uniquely African business problems.  

SOLUTIONS FOR THE AFRICAN MARKET

The AfricArena 2018 conference was anchored and endorsed by major international sponsors La French Tech, Silicon Cape, Vinci Energies, AirFrance KLM, Engie, Saint-Gobain, Methys, Rogerwilco, City of Cape Town, Proparco, RCS, and Leroy Merlin.

The following sponsors specifically came to South Africa and AfricArena to explore innovation opportunities within Africa and abroad: RCS, Saint-Gobain, AirFrance KLM, Vinci Energies, VivaTech, Leroy Merlin, Engie, Sanofi and FSAT Labs.

“We expect to have a different approach from these startups, a bright idea that could be easily implemented, and also to benefit from what is very high potential in terms of innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives. And to find solutions that are very well adapted to the African market,” said Jean-Michel Mathieu, CEO of Joon, a subsidiary of Air France.

“African entrepreneurs are very willing to find solutions, to take risks, they address vital expectations and needs, and they are looking at the challenges with a very frugal mindset. I think this is a lesson for us as well, we learn a lot working with them and collaborating with them to find the right solutions and we take this inspiration back to Europe with us,” said Lydia Babaci-Victor, Chief Innovation and Development Officer at Vinci Energies.

Vincent Viollain, co-Founder and Head of Partnerships and Startups at VivaTech, the biggest tech conference in Europe said: “The leapfrog ability of African technology has become a bit of a cliché. But when you get a chance to see it, you’ll see that it’s actually true. African technology is frugal, its smart and it can have an impact locally as well as globally. In our winner, Aerobotics’ case we believe the solution can move beyond physical borders, and also have application in different industry sectors.” 

AFRICARENA WINNERS:

The startups who won the challenges, were grateful of the experience and excited to be moving forward with some of the largest corporations across the globe.

“Oniriq provides access to African rural populations through energy and the internet. It’s great to be here at AfricArena, it has been a journey. For two months we’ve been participating in this challenge since the selection two months ago in Dakar with Vinci Energies team and we’ve been in discussions since. For us the win is a great achievement and we’re looking forward to starting our collaboration in Senegal,” said Rodolphe Rosier, Founder of Oniriq. 

“We’d like to thank AfricArena and VivaTech for the opportunity to present and we’re really happy to have won and we cannot wait to be in Paris in May. We’re already expanding around the world and this presence at VivaTech 2019 will give us a great opportunity to meet the European market,” said Nasreen Patel, Head of Product at Aerobotics. 

“This is not just a win for DiscoverIkasi, it’s a win for the communities we work with across South Africa. It’s going to give them a lot more exposure. This is what we’ve been working towards since starting the business, to get to a platform where I can market DiscoverIkasi, our market, our experiences and the townships on an international stage. Now we need to go back home and form a strategy to scale the business across South Africa,” said Ntsebenziswano (Benzi) November, Founder of DiscoverIkasi.

The startups attending the conference will also each be receiving credit from AWS as part of their prizes. Each startup in attendance, winner or not, will receive $2000 in AWS credit.  

A WORD FROM THE ECO-SYSTEM

Kerry Petrie, General Manager of Silicon Cape, host ecosystem of AfricArena, states: “It’s such an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs from all across the continent to connect and share, building bridges that may hold future partnership, export and market opportunities. It builds the visibility of the pan-African community for a local, regional and global stakeholder audience. We have to work together to increase investment in African ventures from 1%. And AfricArena is playing a pivotal role in making that a reality.”

Reflecting on the event, Christophe Viarnaud, CEO of AfricArena, expanded on the philosophy behind the conference. “AfricArena’s open collaborative Pan-African model, highly inclusive and embarking all categories of investors, ecosystem contributors, and corporates focused on innovation in Africa, has demonstrated very high impact throughout 2018 with 16 events on 3 continents. The grand finale at AfricArena2018 has shown the energy and excitement from 15 corporates, over 150 investors and 70 startups, with over $2m deals being done, startup-corporate partnerships being struck and a wave of energy and innovation from African entrepreneurs. We could not be more excited about the future, comments Viarnaud.  

THE WINNERS:

Air France KLM Challenge 1                     DiscoverIkasi

Air France KLM Challenge 2                    Sea Monster

Engie Challenge                                           Arnegy

Leroy Merlin Challenge                             BizAR Reality

Saint-Gobain Challenge 1                         Swift GeoSpatial

Saint-Gobain Challenge 2                         The Student Hub

Sanofi South Africa Challenge                Iyeza Health

The RCS Group Challenge                        ThisIsMe

Vinci Energies Challenge 1                       Oniriq

Vinci Energies Challenge 2                       DataProphet

Vivatech 2019 Challenge                          Aerobotics 

SPONSORS AND THEIR CHALLENGES:

Air France KLM Challenge 1 – optimising the airline’s travel experience while reducing its environmental footprint

Air France KLM Challenge 2 – using technology to enrich subsidiary Joon’s travel experience for its passengers

Engie Challenge – ensuing a reliable energy supply in urban areas

Leroy Merlin Challenge – immersive showroom experience that shows off a large variety of products

Saint-Gobain Challenge 1 – using satellite trend analysis to predict urban and climate challenges

Saint-Gobain Challenge 2 -- a solution to upgrade professionals’ skills across Africa, especially in remote areas.

Sanofi South Africa Challenge – optimising patient treatment adherence and completion rates

The RCS Group Challenge – storing and securing customer identity and authentication credentials

Vinci Energies Challenge 1 – using digitalisation to optimise industry and energy performance

Vinci Energies Challenge 2 – How to make energy more accessible in Africa using technology such as energy efficiency flow solutions, energy flow optimisation, blockchain and artificial intelligence

Vivatech 2019 Challenge – using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate growth and sustainability in the agriculture sector 

-- ENDS --

For more information on AfricArena or this press release, please contact:

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

About AfricArena:

AfricArena is a conference that showcases Africa’s best startups and innovators in front of an audience of local and international investors looking for world-class talent.Celebrated as the largest tech ecosystem accelerator on the African continent, last year’s edition of AfricArena saw more than 80 startups presenting to over 100 investors with 25 countries being represented and over $2M worth of deals done. This year's edition saw 70 startups from 32 countries pitching to over 600 attendees. This year they are predicting that funding for African startups will crack US$1 billion. Earlier this year AfricArena launched a global tour to source the world's best tech innovators solving uniquely African problems, and the tour covered 66 000 kilometers in total. AfricArena is the ultimate deal-flow platform, bringing investors and startups together in one central location.

For more information visit: https://africarena2018.com

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 

With easiPoint from RubiBlue, customers can pay for services from anywhere in Africa Johannesburg, South Africa 22 March 2018: easiPoint, an inventive solution to a uniquely African problem, allows businesses to collect, record and receive customer payments from any location on the continent.

Using the easiPoint device developed by RubiBlue, a leading intelligent business solutions organisation, companies can capture data and transact with clients even if they are based in difficult to reach and remote areas.

“With easiPoint, you can build your brand with your clients anywhere in Africa,” says Chris Ogden, Managing Director, RubiBlue. “Thanks to its ubiquity, intelligent design and remote connectivity capabilities, it allows for organisations to gain traction in new market sectors, source payments from clients in remote areas and even create new outlets in spaces that were previously considered too far or out of range.

The easPoint device is designed for the demanding African climate – it consumes minimal data, has a full two-day battery life, includes solar and car chargers to ensure easy access to recharging facilities, can print anywhere in the world with a built-in thermal printer, and comes at a superb price point. With easiPoint, the business can manage and reconcile all payment methods while enjoying the flexibility of mobility, capture and collect information in real time, and launch the solution seamlessly across the business in days.

“We created easiPoint to provide for organisations that needed greater reach into the South African market and richer access to its client base,” says Ogden.

“We realised that one of the biggest challenges facing many organisations was the inability to handle financial transactions or manage payments when a significant portion of their clients were located in rural or out of reach locations. Using easiPoint, any business of any size can now transact, capture data, and sell products and services to customers across the country.” easiPoint has a track record that spans more than ten years, each year introducing new refinements and capabilities to the technology and the devices. To find out more about easiPoint visit http://www.easipoint.co.za, call 0861 48 48 99, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About RubiBlue
RubiBlue provides a range of solutions and services that are ideally suited to subscriber-based companies in Africa. Our comprehensive portfolio of services and our extensive technology-driven expertise help companies streamline their business processes and create customised, simplified and secure backend administration solutions. RubiBlue is committed to providing solutions that make your business operations more cost-effective and efficient. To find out more about RubiBlue and how it can work with your business to create intelligent technology, visit www.rubiblue.com, call 27 (0) 861 48 48 99, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“South Africa’s insurance market is ripe for tech disruption,” says Anthony Miller, CEO of Cape Town-based fin tech startup Simply Financial Services (Pty) Ltd.

Miller, a tech and data entrepreneur, and partners, actuaries Simon Nicholson and Shaun Dippnall, launched Simply just a little over six months ago to apply their industry expertise, in combination with new technologies and data intelligence, to make a social impact in South Africa.

The business aims to secure the financial futures for South Africa’s mass market by selling easy-to-understand, affordable life insurance products (that are up to half the cost of comparable policies on the market) in an industry that writes up R8,5-billion worth of business a year.

“When a bread winner dies in South Africa and many other emerging economies, his or her dependents are often consigned to poverty – that’s the harsh reality many face in our country,” Miller said.

Miller added that South Africans are also often significantly over-insured when it comes to funeral cover – a high proportion of South African adults have at least two funeral policies, many of which are very expensive.

“A large percentage too of the 14 million South African households earning under 30k per month do not currently have life insurance, as many feel it is too expensive and find the sign up process daunting,’ he added.

Simply sells life, disability and funeral insurance “combo’s” designed to meet people’s needs in a way they understand and at a price they can afford. The products are designed for a mobile first environment, understanding that most South Africans do not have access to the Internet other than on their phones, although a significant percentage of sign-ups are done through Simply’s call centre.

Life, disability and funeral combinations

Simply products are life, disability and funeral combos, available for as little as R59 a month, depending on the level of cover selected. Signing up is simple too. The entire online process takes less than 10 minutes, requiring the individual to fill in some personal details, answer three health questions and, should they qualify, receiving immediate cover. No blood or medical tests are required.

Cover is limited to claims caused by accidents for the first six months, which is usually standard in products with limited pre-screening. This ‘waiting period’ is made very clear in all the company’s marketing materials and client documents, so that it is understandable to the policy holder.    

“The value (in financial terms) that these products offer is also substantial. Often, for the price of funeral cover that other companies provide, a full combo of Simply life + disability + funeral products (or whatever the customer chooses) could be provided. A simple comparative quote takes just 10 seconds​,” Miller said. 

Simply has started selling two initial products: Family Combo’s: Life, disability and funeral cover for breadwinners earning between R5 000 and R25 000 a month. Employer Combo’s: Life, disability and funeral cover for employees, paid by their employer. The product is designed for domestic employees, but is also great for small businesses.A similar product is being developed for SMME employers as well and will be formally launched next month.

Technology advantages

Using technology and an innovative operating model helps ensure that Simply products deliver great value and costs are kept to a minimum. For example, a 30-year-old woman earning R4 500 a month gets R100 000 life cover, R150 000 disability cover and R15 000 family funeral cover (covers insured life, spouse and up to five children) for R92 per month. Cover is limited to R1.5million life, R1.5m disability and R50k family funeral in the Family Combo, and R200k life, R400k disability and R50k family funeral in the Employer Combo.

While these combos are offered to suit clients’ needs and pockets, clients are also free to customise their cover by removing one or more benefits, and/or adjusting the amount of cover they want.

By focusing on product design, data-analytics, software development and marketing — and outsourcing ‘commodity’ services to best of breed partners — Simply products aim to materially reduce the cost and complexity of mass-market life insurance and pass the cost benefits onto the customer. 

Cutting the middle man 

“South Africans are increasingly comfortable with buying online and confident about making their own choices, without the presence or influence of a broker,” Miller said. 

“Simply allows customers to cut out the middle man and buy an affordable policy for themselves online, in under five minutes,” he added. 

Simply policies are underwritten by Old Mutual Alternative Risk Transfer Limited and reinsured by RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa Limited.

In line with its focus on social impact and concern for financial sustainability among its customers, Simply has introduced a programme called #SimplyMoney, which provides free financial education and money management tips.For more information about Simply, go to www.simply.co.za. For further information or to interview one of the partners, call Anthony Miller on 0823525655 

Rich, intuitive website offers insight into the Windows-based business process automation tool that is proven to reduce development time and cost.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, July 6 2017Linx Software, a new low-code application development platform, today announced the launch of its newly refreshed brand and website.The new website boasts a clean design and improved functionality. It also offers rich content, showcasing the company’s world-class, Windows-based business process automation tool that is proven to reduce development time and cost. “Application development requests continue to increase, putting pressure on IT and Development teams, and forcing them to rethink their tools and processes. These teams are ready to embrace the benefits of process automation and low-code platforms. As a result, the Linx platform is becoming increasingly popular,” says Gabriel Yssel, founder of Linx.

“Our solution is all about simplicity, ease of use and productivity, so our brand and website should convey the same messages.”The new website offers quick and easy access to essential information and features including a comprehensive look into the software’s capabilities.The new website went live on on July 6 2017, and is located at the address: https://linx.software

About Linx
Linx is a comprehensive integration and business process automation tool with a wide range of connectors to external systems. ​ Linx is developed Twenty57.Founded in 2001, Twenty57 is a leading provider of investment and financial software, the company provides a wide range of industrial strength applications to improve integration, business process management automation, reconciliation and reporting. Twenty57 is headquartered in Mauritius​, with offices in South Africa and India.For more information, visit www.twenty57.com or https://linx.software

The financial crisis of 2008 severely damaged the reputation of the banking sector. Nine years on, consumer surveys consistently find that the financial service industry is one of the least trusted sectors. Restoring that trust is imperative to creating a flourishing financial services sector that can fulfil its vital role in Africa’s economy  Almost any consumer interaction with a financial services firm requires an act of trust on behalf of the consumer; it is therefore of crucial importance to the industry that consumers have a high level of trust in financial services providers.

Trust in innovation

In the 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer, it found that while only 54%of respondents trust the financial services industry as a whole, 62% feel the industry is acting responsibly in the way it is bringing electronic payments to the market. As an industry, it has responded quickly to shield consumers from liability on card fraud and is working collectively to protect broader financial systems. The above shows there is an opportunity if handled well, to use innovation to build trust. 69% of those surveyed by Edelman trust the innovation of new electronic and mobile payment options, thus were ready to leap forward to use them; they saw massive conveniences and greater personal efficiency even in the face of added risks. 

Earning trust in a complex continent

Africa is a continent with a myriad of cultures, geography and incomes, but innovations that touch consumers on a personal level can counter balance security concerns, Edelman’s report found that 82% of those surveyed agreed that “makes my life easier” is an important trait for building trust. Look at Mpesa; the concept has made the lives of many in Kenya easier. Albeit they were forced to use it, but within the financial service the introduction of the platform was a game changer and is now trusted by millions.  So what can companies do to take advantage of this opportunity? 

Focus on discovery, establish personal and societal benefits

Communicating the financial stability of institutions, listing the steps they are taking in data security and highlighting the innovations that organisations are developing can make a difference. Mobile banking and electronic payments are good examples. Banks like FNB have been quick to adopt technology in the mobile banking app arena, and have forged the way tech can be secure, efficient and deliver consumer value. Fintech is seeing the financial services sector flourishing, and organisations need to engage with consumers through regular dialogue, and active consumer participation in product development.  

Act with integrity, rigour and self-awareness

Take sustainability into consideration. Be consistent in reporting and tell people how you are doing. This is a long-term, not a short-term strategy. Start with social listening; have a well-communicated culture, focused on an institution's people and the communities in which they live and work. Edelman discovered that only 24% of consumers expect businesses to "make the world a better place," while 54% of people say they refuse to do business with companies that do not. 

Consumers are sending a clear message with this finding. Enterprises that listen to their customers on this will gain the greatest advantage.   

Observe, share information and improve products

Do not be afraid to acknowledge problems, and be sure to take steps to solve them. FinTech drives consumer activity, be it engagement or disengagement, and can be a clear indicator of successes and challenges. Additionally, any tools or applications can be built in a way that auto identifies any issues (bugs, bottlenecks, etc.) and allows consumers to report obstacles quickly. Most importantly, this feedback needs to be acted on; otherwise, this will drive a culture of consumer ignorance, with users being less likely to be actively reported on going forward. It is vital to communicate across all platforms and in every field: operations, purpose, products and services, engagement and integrity. Considering the role financial services plays in individuals' lives, knowing that 83% of people surveyed by Edelman said that "keeps my family safe" was an essential attribute, but only 56% thought the financial services industry was performing well on this measure. Strengthening collaborative approaches to data security and privacy, standing for consumer protection and making sure the institutions themselves remain stable will help to close the gap. Knowing what builds trust amongst consumers when it comes to the financial services sector, organisations need to build on this knowledge with fintech firms; the industry needs to make consumers aware of what the industry is doing to improve security, safeguard our financial systems and bring greater access to developing communities within Africa.