Through constant development, commercial banks have found innovative ways to include the unbanked segment by formally providing the lower mass market with financial products and services to improve their lives. This amongst many is just one of the issues that will be addressed at the upcoming inclusive event.

Excerpt from Standard Bank South Africa Building on Successes of Inclusive Banking- 2012

South Africa's inclusive banking strategy continues to yield strong results, with the bank building on its experience and successes in driving financial inclusion. In the past year, close to a million new accounts have been opened in the market segment with incomes under R8000/month.

Standard Bank believes the holistic approach to banking the lower-end of the market is bearing results, not just for the bank, but for the broader goal of driving sustainable financial inclusion.

Financial experts from Zungus, FinMark Trust, Innovation Agency, Wizzit, Standard Bank and Smart Switch to name a few will share their knowledge at this event on 19 & 20 June 2013 at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park.

Contact the Project Manager, Jabu Sibiya on 011 803 1553/0009 or email jabu@tci-sa.co.za. Alternatively, send the registration form to info@tci-sa.co.za

With transactions being such a critical part of any business, it’s no surprise that Transaction Banking is an incredibly important area for banks and other financial institutions.
The Transactional Banking Conference will take place on 16- 17 July 2013 at Emperors Palace Hotel, Johannesburg. Project Manager Khumsa Mlungwana said, this event will once again reflect Trade Conferences International’s commitment to organising South Africa’s leading banking and IT events that not only add to institutions strategic planning and development but to individuals’ professional growth as well.

This years event will give delegates the opportunity to network with experts from CBZ Bank Limited Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, SAP, Nedbank Digital, Deloitte, Microsoft South Africa and Bidvest Bank to name a few Southern African institutions. Attending this event will broaden delegates scope in the industry by allowing them to acquire information on topics such as customer strategies, intricate financial regulations and the cost of achieving compliance of these laws, privacy and data protection and issues surrounding securing all the trillions of transactions that take place within financial institutions, amongst others.

Trade Conferences International invites directors, heads and managers as well as infrastructure & software manufacturers, system integrators, security consultants and regulators from all financial institutions and departments to attend this event.

For registration details, please contact the Project Manager, Khumsa Mlungwana on 011 803 1553/0009 or email: khumsa@tci-sa.co.za

With only 2 weeks to go till the Governance Risk and Compliance Conference; be sure not to miss it as this event is designed in such a way that it will assist attending companies to achieve better corporate governance by demonstrating accountability and transparency in their actions and decisions. It will help delegates to effectively measure and manage risks and enable them to meet compliance requirements.
The conference will further highlight the importance and benefits of integrating the three core aspects of GRC in order to achieve greater efficiency.

Delegates will be treated to a wide scope of informative and insightful topics from a carefully selected panel of speakers. Some of the delegates that have already registered for this conference are from organisations such as Standard Bank, First National Bank, Momentum Group, Bankserv Africa, Silvermoon Business Systems, Bank of Taiwan SA, NBCRFIL and MMI Holdings, to name but a few. By attending, delegates will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and gain an in depth understanding on how to best incorporate an integrated GRC plan into their company’s strategy, in turn maximising compliance and minimising risks.

Researched and organised by Trade Conferences International, the Governance, Risk & Compliance Conference 2013 will be held on 5 & 6 June at Fabz Hotel, Lonehill, Johannesburg.

To join your peers and colleagues, complete the registration form on the brochure and fax it to us on 086 582 2981, or email it to info@tci-sa.co.za. Alternatively, for more information call the Project Manager, Naison Chilenge on 011 803 0009/1553.

Is South African banking systems favorable within the financial industry to be able to cater the underbanked market? It seems so since there has been a growth in the number of commercial and foreign institutions that host numerous activities of the underprivileged segment.

Innovation agency is one of the foremost innovative companies in South Africa; they have managed to ensure if the changes happening overseas will impact the South African economy. Rory Moore the Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Agency is one of our esteemed speakers who will be addressing “Banking innovation approaches and strategies.” Reserve your seat to gain insight on future innovation trends that will benefit the financial industry.

To see the brochure please click on events on the Trade Conferences International website for more information or sponsorship opportunities call Project Manager, Jabu Sibiya at TCI on + 27 11 803-1553/0009 or email jabu@tci-sa.co.za.

TCI’s Online Retailing conference will feature one of the top online companies in the South African Online Retail sector. Jaco Jonker, Chief Executive Officer of Bid or Buy will be addressing the key trends and developments, influence and competitive positioning within the Retail Industry in South Africa. Jaco joined Bidorbuy in 2008 as the Group Chief Financial Officer and within 2 years he took over the role of Chief Executive Officer. Jaco is on the board of bidrorbuy.co.za where he performs most of his current duties. As a well renowned industry expert, Jonker has the privilege of opening on day 1 of the conference.

Following on the successes of the previous four Online Retailing Conferences, Trade Conferences International once again brings retailing professionals a follow up event - the 5th Online Retailing Conference, an event that features an all new programme and updated topics.

The conference will host top executives, industry experts and will give delegates a chance to network and gain insight into the minds of these highly accredited speakers.

The conference will be taking place on the 19-20 June 2013 at the Emperors Palace. To find out more regarding registration contact Sian Wirth on 011 803 0009 or email sian@tci-sa.co.za or visit TCI website www.tci-sa.co.za to download the brochure.

Gain invaluable insight into the latest regarding governance, risk and compliance by attending the upcoming Governance, Risk and Compliance Conference.
The event – organised by Trade Conferences International - will be held on 5 & 6 June at Fabz Hotel in Lonehill, Johannesburg.

The programme will address topics such as GRC strategy & implementation, POPI and global security safeguards, Companies Act requirement, GRC strategies and cloud computing, e-commerce fraud, improving workplace ethics, IT governance and fraud awareness.
Attending delegates will be coming from a wide range of sectors such as banks, insurance companies, manufacturing, aviation, hospitality, service providers, retail companies and government entities.

Project Manager, Naison Chilenge, said the aim of the event is to help improve companies’ strategies around issues of corporate governance, enterprise risk and compliance.
“The conference will enable participants to develop, implement and monitor GRC strategies that take cognisance of both internal individual company policies and the legislative environment.”
“The feedback from last year’s event was very positive, and this year we feel that the revamped programme, with several new speakers will add another dimension to the conference experience.

With more than 250 events organised since 2002, we feel that we are ideally positioned to bring prospective delegates once again a quality event. Our events so far this year attracted major support, with conferences such as the Mobile Banking Conference, Debt Collection Conference and Core Banking Conference, standing out.

To prove their commitment to implement effective GRC plans, some companies that have already registered delegates to attend include Standard Bank, First National Bank, Momentum Group, Bankserv Africa, Silvermoon Business Systems, Bank of Taiwan SA and NBCRFIL.

Join delegates from the above companies at this informative event, by completing the registration form on the brochure and fax it to us on 086 582 2981, or email it to info@tci-sa.co.za.

For more information please contact Naison Chilenge, Project Manager at TCI on 011 803 0009 or alternatively email naison@tci-sa.co.za

The Governance, Risk and Compliance Conference 2013 will give attending delegates the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the legislative jurisdiction impacting their company’s day-to-day operations. A solid and sound understanding of such GRC frameworks is a prerequisite to ensure maximum compliance levels within an organisation. Thorough assessment of other extra judicial risks will help in terms of better planning and alignment of strategies in order to cut out wasteful expenses, systems duplications and close any existing gaps.

This 2 day conference that will be held on 5 & 6 June at Fabz Hotel in Lonehill, Johannesburg will explore important issues that are faced by GRC professionals; issues such as compliance monitoring, enterprise risk management, auditing, risk control and corporate governance just to name a few.

Join us at yet another informative and insightful Governance Risk and Compliance Conference by downloading the brochure at www.tci-sa.co.za and complete the registration form attached and fax it to us on 086 582 2981, or email it to info@tci-sa.co.za.

For more information please contact Naison Chilenge, Project Manager at TCI on 011 803 0009/1553 or alternatively email naison@tci-sa.co.za

Ray Maota- Media Club South Africa

According to the 2012 FinMark Trust’s FinScope Consumer Survey, South Africa’s banked population has grown by 1.3-million people to 22.5-million in 2012, from 21.2-million in 2011.

However, the Banking Association of South Africa, an industry body representative of all registered banks in the country, cites a potential annual R12-billion market for the financial services industry in the 15-million people who remain unbanked.

The need for financial inclusion has become a major consideration in South Africa and other developing countries.
It’s important that banks continue to innovate, ensuring that we provide a choice of relevant and distinctive products and services – based on client needs. It’s not only about access and transactional capabilities. It’s also about understanding the need to save especially amongst a growing innovative South Africa.

The Inclusive Banking conference will be taking place on the 19 – 20 June 2013 at the Emperors Palace. Join industry experts who will discuss topics and innovative strategies in Inclusive banking.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities or for a registration form call Project Manager, Jabu Sibiya at TCI on + 27 11 803-0009 or email info@tci-sa.co.za or email jabu@tci-sa.co.za.

By Zeenat Moorad- BizCommunity

By global standards, the e-commerce platform in South Africa is small, but online retail sales have shown a steady increase over the past five years as timid shoppers take a back seat and a growing number of techno-savvy consumers turn to the Internet.

Research by World Wide Worx, commissioned by Google, indicates that online retail is becoming increasingly popular in the country, it has emerged that, consumers are increasingly switching to the benefits of online shopping, as broadband capabilities and costs have become slightly more accessible.

Growth in Internet access is now speeding up as the market gets more competitive. Nevertheless, only higher-end retailers are giving e-commerce much attention. The discrepancies among higher and lower end consumers in terms of making use of online retailing demonstrate the challenges still facing the South African community.

A prime factor determining the usage of online stores is based on trust issues regarding payments. The growth of the online retail environment in South Africa has resulted in several payment options. The 5th Online Retailing Conference will address factors such as payment options among others.

Making the transition from a physical store to an online store remains challenging for retailers; discussions surrounding “Retail Solutions” will allow delegates to further their knowledge on how to make this transition a successful one.

The conference brings delegates informative discussions and real solutions facing online retailers in South Africa.

For more information access the Online Retailing brochure from www-tci-sa.co.za or call Chissola Gaieta, Project Manager at Trade Conferences International.

As more and more South African’s are able to gain access to financial services there lies a big risk/question for financial institutions and service providers, “Are you sure that the lending services will benefit the organisations, in terms of the lower income client being able to repay the loan?”

This has been one of the major issues in the last couple of months which most institutions have been giving more than they can chew. Reported by the National Credit Regulator unsecured loans granted in the fourth quarter increased at least 2% to 26 billion rand ($2.8 billion) from September to December last year.

Unsecured lending is going to play a big role in the future, this is always cause for big concern. How will the lower income market be able to repay the fixed interest on the loaned amount, because there is a lot of uncertainty among most uneducated unbanked people.

TransUnion is one of the leading credit leaders in South Africa, they have managed to ensure the increase in consumer credit index with low debt servicing costs. Owen Sorour, Senior Vice President, TransUnion Analytic and Decision Solutions is one of our top class speakers who will be addressing “Unsecured lending; is it simplistic or too complex?”
Book your seat in order to gain understanding, transparency and efficiency by attending this financial event.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities or for a registration form call Project Manager, Jabu Sibiya at TCI on + 27 11 803-0009 or email info@tci-sa.co.za or email jabu@tci-sa.co.za.