Cash is still king in South Africa. But according to Anton van der Merwe, COO of leading pan-African fintech enablement partner, Ukheshe Technologies, its long reign is increasingly under threat as businesses and consumers begin counting the real, hidden costs behind cash transactions. Whether its via cash, credit card, QR, crypto, or a smartphone wallet, financial transactions all take place within a complex system. Some parts of that system make use of coins, notes, or phy

How does an app become a super app? Much like Superman, it gains extra powers. With mobile software applications available to assist us with almost every aspect of our lives, including socialising, ticket purchasing, shopping, fitness, banking and more, there’s a reason the phrase ‘there’s an app for that’ was coined by Apple back in 2009. More than a decade later, enter the super app; a one-stop platform with multiple solutions built into it so users don’t have to interact w

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

While 2021 was challenging for many businesses and characterised by an economy struggling to get back on its feet after months of lockdown, the digital payments sector experienced a boom. There was a huge need to go digital, payments went contactless and large financial institutions needed digital mobile money propositions, and they needed them fast. Ukheshe was able to meet these needs with innovative product offerings and has in fact grown fourfold during this uncertain yea

Africa is leading the way in mobile money, and it will change banking as we know it By Mark Dankworth, President International at Ukheshe Technologies Mobile transacting is fast becoming the golden egg of financial services – and nowhere more so than in Africa. According to the Global System for Mobile Communications’ (GSMA) 2021 State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money, the number of registered mobile money accounts grew by 12.7% globally in 2021 to 1.21 billion accounts

Rapid transformation in the digital payments sector - the growth of e-commerce and digital payments in South Africa.

2 min read. Ukheshe has appointed Prins Mhlanga, CEO of Ocean on 76 Group, to its board of directors. Mhlanga joins the board of the South African micro-payments platform provider in the position of non-executive director. In a statement, Ukheshe says Mhlanga’s appointment comes at a time when it has refocused on the B2B sector and is streamlining its payment solution services. Clayton Hayward, co-founder of Ukheshe, says the company is excited to have Ocean on 76 on board: “

2 min read. In an initiative that will see the growth and development of payment services within the East Africa region, leading digital fintech platform provider, Ukheshe, has announced the conclusion of a new agreement with the Kenya-based lender KCB Bank Kenya. Through the agreement, KCB will sponsor Ukheshe’s Bank Identification Number (BIN) number, which will allow Ukheshe to immediately issue both physical and virtual cards across East Africa where KCB has an extensive

2 min read. Our company values are more than aspirations, we see them as a carefully considered set of principles that guide our actions, keep us all on the right track, and inspire our success. What we value not only shows the world what we’re about and what we stand for, it functions as a compass for finding our true north and serves as a foundation of our long-term vision and strategy. As we continue to grow and build on our many successes, our values become even more impo

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. The devastating economic shockwaves caused by Covid-19 have laid bare the desperate need for greater financial inclusion. Broader access to e-money services can play a key role in meaningful economic development, even as South Africa’s (and much of the African continent) banking environment remains highly regulated, limiting the roll-out and reach of mobile money. In a 2019 report, GSMA noted that registered mobile-money users topped the 1-billion mark in 2019. Of