Payment security starts with design, not the audit
While many businesses still view the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) primarily as a compliance obligation, the reality is that payment security has a direct impact on operational stability, customer trust and commercial resilience. By Johannes...
AI oversight and governance will shape the future of SA’s financial services
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become deeply woven into every aspect of financial services, from customer onboarding and fraud detection to transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and risk assessment. By Chanal Subramoney, group senior compliance manager (MLCO)...
Is AI lying to us?
AI has shifted from “People trying AI” to “People depending on AI regularly”. It is commonplace now that emails and documents are drafted by AI, without adequate human oversight – leading to embarrassing real-life consequences. ChatGPT grew from 100-million active...
The next frontier for AI in banking
Delivering on AI has become both a buzzword and a pressure point for organisations globally. There is also a gap between its adoption and its ability to deliver value. The McKinsey State of Organisations 2026 report surveyed executives across 15 countries and 16...
The bank of the future will need to serve people and AI agents
For years, digital banking has been measured by access. Ensuring clients can open an account without visiting a branch, transact from a phone, or get help outside normal banking hours shaped the first wave of banking digitisation and changed how millions of South...
King Price cuts claims turnaround times with AI
AI is no longer a future-facing concept in insurance. Increasingly, it is becoming a practical business tool that helps insurers make better decisions, respond more quickly, and protect the integrity of the claims process. At King Price Insurance, enterprise AI (EAI)...
Visa makes the smartphone a cash register
Visa has announced new capabilities across Visa Accept and Visa Direct that are designed to expand how smartphones can accept and send digital payments. The updates are intended to make it easier for small businesses in emerging markets — from street vendors to...
Banks urged to reuse fraud data to fix broken dispute processes, rebuild trust in digital banking
Fraud dispute resolution is often manual and can take weeks. Research shows 73% of customers say their loyalty is heavily influenced by how fraud is handled. While customer satisfaction and retention may largely lie in the ambit of the CMO, a large part of the...
Kandua launches AI-powered home companion
Kandua, a wholly owned Santam subsidiary, has announced the launch of Jess, an artificial Intelligence (AI) powered home companion aimed at improving trust, safety and certainty in the home services sector. Jess is a conversational AI interface that brings to life the...
Visa, FNB, RMB partner to launch Visa Commercial Pay
Visa, in partnership with First National Bank (FNB) and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), have announced the launch of Visa Commercial Pay (VCP) in South Africa. Visa Commercial Pay is a fully integrated business-to-business (B2B) payment solution designed to simplify how...
Banks need a decisioning backbone for the AI era
For years, banks have modernised around channels. For example, mobile apps became better, onboarding became faster and customer engagement became more personalised. These improvements matter because customers feel them every day. But there is a more difficult shift...
SA’s digital wallet goldrush has a licensing problem
South Africa’s prepaid card and digital wallet market is valued at $13,5-billion as of 2026, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 11,9%, reaching $21,2-billion by 2030. By Paul Wenborn, product manager, and Yaaseen Sheik, company counsel at Ecentric...