FirstRand lifted its stake to 26.1% in late March. Now Standard Bank has led a $330-million debt refinancing.
Browsing: Financial services
Standard Bank says the market should lead. Fintechs say fragmentation and proprietary APIs are holding the sector back.
Affordable smartphones, flexible credit and a women-led sales network are reshaping digital inclusion in South Africa.
The South African Bookmakers Association wants banks to start blocking payments to unlicensed offshore operators.
Standard Bank’s R164-trillion in annual payment flows dwarfs the entire global mobile money ecosystem fourfold.
PayShap will only truly work when it reaches critical mass. Three years in, it’s clear it hasn’t done so. Here’s why.
Global mobile money transactions surpassed $2-trillion in 2025, doubling in just four years, with Africa driving the growth.
FirstRand has deepened its bet on AI fintech Optasia, spending R1.48-billion to lift its stake to 26.1%.
Optasia sees formal banking as a massive growth opportunity as microfinancing overtakes its airtime advance business.
A new paper by the Reserve Bank argues that South Africa’s market-driven approach to open banking is limiting in its reach.