Author: Gugu Lourie
by Staff Writer JSE and Nasdaq-listed tech firm Net1 announced on Tuesday it has acquired a strategic stake in Bank Frick, which is based in Balzers, Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is the sixth-smallest country in the world. It lies in the heart of the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. It is a is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in Central Europe.[8] It is a constitutional monarchy with the rank of principality, headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. Net1, which facilitates payments between institutions and individuals without easy access to banking services, has bought 30% stake in Bank Frick. As part of the deal, the…
by Staff Writer When we speak about Africa’s development, we refer not only to the rich natural resources at the continent’s disposal. More relevant to us today and more sustainable than resources, is the rise of its middle class. The growth of this band of people is key to improving investor confidence, financial inclusion and contribution toward the formal economy and is therefore is of utmost importance to economic development. A consequence of the emergence of this middle class is rapid urbanisation, with most seeking a better future and job prospects in the developed cities. Mass-migration Research shows that by…
by Gugu Lourie A search for a great customer experience has led South Africa’s Bidvest Car Rental to be innovative and introduce a keyless car rental fleet for the local market. The launch of the keyless car rental fleet with the introduction of their app known as Snappdrive is aimed at redefining car rental market in the country. The app will allow users to locate their car, via their phones built-in GPS, as well as unlock and start their vehicles without a physical key. With telematics, Bidvest will be able to track every vehicle, which means real time fleet management for both…
by Staff Writer Social media started life as a way of staying in touch with friends and sharing happy memories. However, the results of the latest global study from Kaspersky Lab indicate that social media now leaves many people feeling negative instead. Post Likes The hunt for likes plays a central role in this, with the majority of people feeling down or upset when they don’t get as many likes as they expect for a post, and with 42% saying they feel jealous when their friends get more likes than them. In addition, the research shows that people feel envious…
by Pat McConnell Consider, for a moment, these two statements from the “Ultimate Guide to Understanding Blockchain Smart Contracts” on a well known Blockchain website: 1) Traditional Contracts “Traditional physical contracts, such as those created by legal professionals today, contain legal language on a vast amounts of printed documents and heavily rely on third parties for enforcement. This type of enforcement is not only very time consuming, but also very ambiguous. If things go astray, contract parties often must rely on the public judicial system to remedy the situation, which can be very costly and time consuming.” 2) Smart Contracts “Smart…
by BMW South Africa BMW South Africa was yesterday awarded a number of accolades at the 2016/2017 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards powered by Wesbank. The BMW 750Li with the Design Pure Excellence package was awarded the First Class of the Year Award The BMW M2 Coupe was awarded the Performance Car of the Year. A certificate of excellence was also awarded to BMW South Africa for excellence in after-sales service, resale value, sales processes and general ownership satisfaction. In order to have been eligible for the First Class of the Year category, contenders had to meet the following criteria: a list…
by Peter Buwert The American street artist Shepard Fairey created a poster for Barack Obama’s presidential election campaign. It was 2008 and the simple red, beige and blue stencilled image of Obama’s face over the word “HOPE” quickly became the iconic image of the election, the rallying cry around which it was fought and won. It remains the enduring image of his presidency. But it is also now a reminder of promised hope ultimately unfulfilled, and many artists might have concluded they would stay away from politics in future as a result. Instead, Fairey has been at the centre of a…
by Peter Lucas In the early 21st century, Western-style freedoms are often presented as an ideal template for the rest of the world. Yet supposedly free democracies are also marked by substantial and growing disparities of wealth, power and status. Fellow citizens seem to be increasingly socially-disengaged, individualistic and narcissistic, and suffer record levels of psychological ill-health, reflected in (among other things) high suicide rates. So is this vaunted freedom simply an illusion? Many would argue that the gross inequalities characteristic of Western societies compromise its freedom. Upbringing, education and family background still dramatically affect the opportunities available to citizens, and…
by Kyle Rozendo, CTO at SID, who puts forward nine simple ways to make sweeping changes to e-commerce website performance. Global shopping cart abandonment on e-commerce websites is reported at anything between 60 and 70 percent. Yet simple tweaks to the purchasing process and a keen eye on usability can ensure more completed sales and, ultimately, better customer retention. While there will always be some measure of natural abandonment because customers are just browsing, there are some easy steps which can be taken to keep customers delighted and your bottom line healthy. 1. Keep it simple The first and most important…
by Gugu Lourie Africa’s Internet Giant Naspers’ R1.4 billion gamble into US-based second-hand marketplace app Letgo is an investment that many may have concluded that it makes little sense when it was done by this unknown company from South Africa. When the deal was done Letgo’s competitors Craiglist and eBay were not worried about their market share in the tough US market. But things seem to be working out for Naspers – Letgo has reached 20 million monthly active users of its marketplace and 45 million downloads of its free app since launching in 2015, making it one of the…