Cell phone banking in South Africa has more than doubled in one year and usage is to climb even more sharply in the coming year. 22 Nov 2007
Rupert Murdoch commented to shareholders in Australia that he expects to turn the online edition of The Wall Street Journal from a subscription-based service to a free site. Murdoch's News Corp. is scheduled to formally acquire Dow Jones & Co, along with the Journal, this December. 14 Nov 2007
Ted Leonsis wants you to pay bills and transfer money online in a new way, with no fees. 12 Nov 2007
The Shoprite group and Old Mutual announced today (8 November 2007) a world first with the launch of an innovative top-up insurance product: Pay-when-you-can, which is available through Shoprite supermarkets in South Africa. 8 Nov 2007
Nedbank has been declared the industry winner in the 2007 Orange Index, a survey that benchmarks service performance in South Africa. A total of 70 companies across 12 sectors were surveyed. 8 Nov 2007
Hot on the heels of a leading Chinese bank's purchase of a stake in Standard Bank, came claims of a bid by the State Bank of India (SBI) to take over South Africa's Capitec Bank. The SBI has since denied the reports. 1 Nov 2007
The ratio of household debt to disposable income reached a peak of 76.6% in June 2007, but should be returning to more sustainable levels in the near future reported the National Treasury. 31 Oct 2007
South Africans currently have incomes that are on average and in real terms, about 22% higher per person than they were in 1999. 31 Oct 2007
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) will be the single largest shareholder of Standard Bank after paying R36.67 billion (US$5.46 billion) for a 20% stake. Both banks state that they will now be able to move forward in many areas through strategic cooperation. 29 Oct 2007
“Women are a driving force in the African economy, but their access to finance is still far too small,” declares Declan Duff, VP of the International Finance Corporation's Industries section, “and this is why the IFC is partnering with Nigeria's Access Bank to bridge the gap with lines of credit specifically for female entrepreneurs.” 29 Oct 2007
A number of financial institutions have lodged applications for retail banking licences, a move likely to increase the number of commercial banks in the country beyond the current 14 should the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) approve the requests. 29 Oct 2007
The country's nine major cities have recorded significant improvements in their financial stability and an increased ability to tackle service delivery challenges. 25 Oct 2007
Technology vendors in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region are expected to gain from the mass affluent hot spots as spend on IT by the wealth management segment is predicted to top US$28 billion. 25 Oct 2007
Zimbabwe's Central Statistical Office (CSO) has announced that the inflation rate rose to a new record of 7 982.1% year-on-year in September, from 6 592.8% in August. The office ascribes the rise to being driven by non-food items. 19 Oct 2007
In order to encourage inflation back to within the 3 - 6% target range, the Reserve Bank has hiked the repo rate by 50 basis points to 10.5%. 11 Oct 2007
A South Africa first rolls out this month (October) when life assurer Liberty Life launches a new type of promotional activity that 'sells' behavioural change rather than a product. 9 Oct 2007
The planned indigenisation of banking institutions in Zimbabwe has created grave economic concerns, centred on what appears to be a crusade by Minister of Indigenisation and Empowerment, Paul Mangwana's crusade for the demise of international brands in the financial sector. 4 Oct 2007
Here's a concept in banking that brings bank and store together - so you can buy clothing and open a bank account at the same time. 26 Sep 2007
Regardless of which online bill paying method is selected, consumers have to pay attention to monthly statements and changing circumstances. It is easy to lose track of things after completing the one-time setup. For instance, one danger in using electronic bill paying's automatic pay feature is not noticing an interest rate increase in a credit card or adjustable mortgage account. 19 Sep 2007
Perhaps the most significant savings that paperless billing could achieve would benefit the environment directly. Electronic bills would cut down on the consumption of trees. If all US households viewed and paid their bills online, the reduction in paper would save 16.5 million trees a year, according to a recent report published by Javelin Strategy and Research. 19 Sep 2007
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