Remember when banking meant leaving the house and queuing at a physical branch to see your banker? Now, you can use your mobile device to make payments and check balances, and at the same time order groceries, pay your electricity bill and chat online with friends and family – all without getting off the couch. The digital revolution in the financial services industry has changed the way we bank, shop and interact with each other, and the prolonged lockdowns as well as increa

Last year saw an unprecedented rate of change in the financial sector, with huge growth in the use of digital financial services. A report by CB Insights entitled ‘State of Fintech’ revealed that the third quarter of 2021 was the second-highest on record for fintech financing, up by 147 percent year-on-year, and 2022 is looking like more of the same. Fintechs will continue to drive financial inclusion, assisting in the creation of an accessible and sustainable digital economy

The fintech industry is in a period of hyper-accelerated growth, with venture capitalist investment in young fintech companies having reached record-breaking levels in 2021. A report by KPMG shows that global investment in fintech reached a record-breaking $52.3 billion in the first half of 2021, more than doubling the $22.5 billion seen in the second half of 2020. Ukheshe is riding this wave of growth and driving it further into Africa. The market leading fintech enablement

Ukheshe started with a humble proposition: bring electronic payments to the unbanked. As Ukheshe grew, it saw the broader issue: it’s not just that many people are unbanked; many financial institutions don’t have the digital means to engage with more modern audiences. When it comes to using QR codes, USSD payments, mobile apps, web interfaces and such, most banks find it too complicated. They have to coordinate the services of multiple providers and vendors, all while navigat

2 min read. In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod interviews Clayton Hayward, CEO of fintech platform provider Ukheshe Technologies, about its acquisition from Mastercard of Oltio. The deal, announced late last year, sees Ukheshe buying a company that developed the digital payments platform that supports Masterpass, Mastercard’s QR payment service. Masterpass allows consumers to pay with their bank card by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone. In t

2 min read. There is a growing appreciation of financial inclusion and its role in economic development. Tied closely to this is the role of mobile money and its contribution to promoting financial inclusion and development. According to Clayton Hayward, CEO and co-founder of Ukheshe, an SMME digital banking platform provider, South Africa remains highly regulated with licensed banks being the only institutions that can offer e-money services. This creates a major hurdle, lim

2 min read. While 2020 will be remembered for its many challenges, Ukheshe celebrated some significant milestones and achievements. At a crucial time when South Africa is dealing with high employment and low economic growth, we are extremely proud to have expanded our staff complement while being actively committed to promoting financial inclusion for the growth of economies and communities both here at home and across the African continent. Here are just some of our top 2020

2 min read. 2020 has certainly been a year unlike any other. Not only did the pandemic push the fast forward button on existing trends, and draw attention to low/no-touch solutions, it also resulted in a renewed focus on the cashless payment revolution and its many benefits. Ukheshe officially turned two in November and we expanded our team to around 50 employees – a definite cause for celebration. This year also saw the launch of Ukheshe Africa, led by Mark Dankworth, which

2 min read. Since their debut in the 1950s, credit cards have permanently changed consumer spending across the globe. Now another exciting shift is underway as credit cards evolve into daily money management tools. From humble beginnings as a simple payment instrument, credit cards are now an effective means of keeping track of the ‘what’ and ‘where’ of spending, all while being a conduit to a host of immediate online card benefits. Embracing this digital-first approach is no