Image: Maropeng, the Cradle of Humankind, is one of the Google Arts & Culture/ SA Tourism online exhibition
Throughout history, after every global crisis such as the one we’re experiencing, a new era of thinking and living begins. How we shop, learn and play has evolved, with some changes brought on by the pandemic, and others brought on by technology’s acceleration.
We’ve rounded up interesting insights from industry executives around new transformations, experiences and offerings in their respective sectors over the past year.
Tapping is here to stay ~ Murray Gardiner, CEO of Bluecode Africa
Murray Gardiner
Across the continent, cash has always been preferred for cultural reasons of trust and convenience of exchange. That’s understandable. Cash is easy to understand. You hand over a set amount and get the good or service you desire. It’s also so culturally entrenched that it doesn’t require learning new behaviours.
According to Murray Gardiner, managing director of Bluecode Africa, implemented correctly and with the right empowering technology baked in, a domestic payment scheme could be a game-changer for South Africa. He noted this following the South African Reserve Bank s (Sarb) recent request for comment on whether a domestic card scheme could work in SA and how it should be structured.
Murray Gardiner, managing director of Bluecode AfricaWhile nothing about the domestic card scheme, including the ownership and technical structure, has been decided, Gardiner believes it’s a step in the right direction. We should celebrate any merchant payment system that removes the dependency on foreign card schemes and accelerates South Africa’s transition to the digital economy while aligning the country with the global trend to digital mobile payments.
The Power of Connectivity
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Once a luxury, connectivity has become the fourth utility. Featuring alongside electricity, water and sewerage as services that are vital to economic and social development, connectivity is the key to participating in our connected, digital world.
At a very basic level, this connectivity needn’t necessarily enable the most high-tech or advanced technologies to have an impact, notes Mark Walker, Associate Vice-President for south, east and west Africa at the IDC (International Data Corporation). Today, your humble one-man band can promote his business, engage with customers and transact using a simple smartphone and an internet connection. Issues arise and gaps appear when access is limited, when quality is poor, when costs are prohibitive, when security is questionable and when connections are unreliable. So how do we minimise these inhibitors?
Why digital payments are the more secure alternative cnbcafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnbcafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.