Grey list removal a milestone, not mission accomplished
Last Friday (24 October 2025), news broke that South Africa was removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. By Sameer Kumandan, MD of SearchWorks This comes after the country made significant progress to improve the effectiveness of its anti-money...
Why the greylisting outcome demands a new era of financial integrity
The verdict is in: South Africa has been removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, but not a finish line, writes Hawken McEwan, director of risk and compliance at nCino KYC Africa. The reforms of the past two...
Digital blindspots: how fincrime thrives in SA
South Africa has tightened Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations since the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylisting in 2023, but financial crime (fincrime) remains prevalent. By Bradley Elliott, CEO of RelyComply While some money...
Lagging banks could get caught by Travel Rule complexities
As regulators in South Africa and across the continent move to enforce the Travel Rule, local banks are lagging on implementing the requirements and, if they don’t move quickly, they could face severe, but unnecessary consequences. The rapid evolution of digital...
Navigating POPIA in a digitally borderless world
In South Africa, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) is reshaping how organisations handle personal data, both locally and across borders. By Ryan Boyes, governance, risk and compliance officer at Galix For businesses operating internationally, the...
Transforming SA’s business sector goes beyond law and regulation
Businesses need to continually review their progress and reset their goals to accommodate the multiple dynamics of their organisation. One of the areas that needs diligent attention is diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) policy and practice, writes Taelo...
Clean up fronting before an empowerment levy can work
An empowerment levy could simplify compliance and unlock transformation funding - but only if credibility and enforcement come first. By Bruce Hunt, MD of Transcend Capital and Transcend Corporate Advisory A new private-sector proposal has reignited debate about how...
Regtech powers cross-border trust in financial mergers
Financial institutions (FIs) are expected to deliver instant transactions, immediate verifications and fast onboarding in a world that has shifted towards real-time payments. Bradley Elliott, CEO of RelyComply The ability to process online payments in real time rests...
SA leaders can’t afford to get governance wrong
South Africans trust Woolworths more than Eskom. Not because of rotisserie chicken, but because we instinctively know where good governance lives and where it hasn’t. By Jonathan Crisp, director of BarnOwl GRC and Audit software In politics, governance failures show...
Stop pretending waste pickers don’t exist
South Africa has high recycling rates thanks to waste reclaimers but refuses to treat them as real workers. They collect up to 80% of recycled packaging, yet remain invisible to policy, unpaid and unprotected. Regenize’s REACT solution digitalises and formalises...
Navigating the complexities of AI in the GRC landscape
Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) is an essential part of sustainable business, helping organisations to manage risk, keep up to date with legislation and ensure that processes are well managed. By Ryan Boyes, governance, risk and compliance officer at Galix One...
Court finds taxpayers must prove an amount is not income
While it is entirely within a taxpayer’s rights to contest the outcome of a South African Revenue Service (SARS) assessment, doing so requires thorough preparation. This means ensuring that documentation is accurate, consistent, and properly presented, and that the...