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Shanduka Black Umbrelllas means change. It is a rally for action to mentor, partner and collaborate with black South African entrepreneurs, the key drivers to a new era of economic and social evolution. In this session, you will learn how business can incubate and drive small businesses through thoughtful and well designed processes that lead to economic success for both entities. You will hear from CFOs, small business owners and those who have implemented enterprise and supplier development models. If you're curious about how to grow SA Inc. don't miss this Finance Indaba Africa session!

Hilton Worldwide has said it intends spending $50 million over the next five years adding as many as 100 hotels to its chain in Africa. Included in this will be one new property opening in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, by the end of this year, and another in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, next year.

Brainworks Ltd, a Zimbabwe-focused investment company, has been granted a listing of all its issued shares in the equity investments instruments sector of the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). This makes Brainworks the first Zimbabwean company to have a primary listing on the JSE main board.

Monash South Africa (MSA) is once again joining the Finance Indaba Africa 2017, this year as a platinum partner being hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre, October 12 -13, 2017.

MiX Telematics has appointed Fundiswa Roji-Maplanka CA(SA) as an independent non-executive director and a member of the audit and risk committee and of the social and ethics committee, effective 3 October 2017.

Financial models are a prerequisite to successfully identify risks, costs, opportunities and income streams. An Excel-based financial model helps you to become profitable in a continuously changing business atmosphere. 100 percent of CFOs agree that working without a sound financial model is close to impossible. A thorough understanding of these models makes your job easier, saves you time, and will bring prosperity to your business. In this hands-on masterclass, you will learn from the best financial modeling experts what you can do to generate valuable management insights – a must-have for every ambitious finance professional. Join this Goalfix session with CEO Colin Human at the Finance Indaba Africa and get ahead of the pack!

A career in finance is tough. A career in finance in the public sector is tougher! In this honest account of what it takes to build a successful career in the public sector, you’ll hear first-hand how exceptional finance professionals have thrived in some of the toughest circumstances. If you’re looking for inspiration or want perspective on your challenges, this is a Finance Indaba Africa session you cannot miss.

Beerhouse founder Randolf Jorberg (pictured and Vuyisa Qabaka from Uprise.Africa will explain how the pioneering Equity Crowdfunding platform for South Africa brings entrepreneurs with great ideas together with investors looking for quality deals.

"We launched our blockchain solution at the Finance Indaba last year and now we can build a cryptocurrency, this is the catalyst which will enable us to get it to the $1 investment, which we believe will help bridge the wealth gap," says Scott Picken, founder and CEO of Wealth Migrate, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

South Africa’s largest for-profit independent school group, Curro Holdings, this week listed its tertiary education business, Stadio Holdings, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

Some 22 years ago, Bhekabantu Wilfred Ngubane started Ngubane and Co., a firm of auditors and chartered accountants, in Durban. Ngubane & Co has since grown to employ over 230 employees, and has a presence in six provinces. It is a typical example of the importance of entrepreneurship and successful SMEs. In this unique Finance Indaba Africa session, you’ll be exposed to ideas of how you, as big businesses and government, can deliberately and purposefully contribute to reducing unemployment in our country, by creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the market and help them to proper (sustainability).

In this Finance Indaba Africa session, Lee Naik, CEO at TransUnion Africa, will take a deeper look at how the finance function will look three to five years from now. Whether you’re an accountant in business or practice, winning will be about how finance will be able to deliver industrialised back-office value to businesses, while finding ways to enable the business’s growth agenda. Lee will provide practical advice on the new skills and ways of working that finance professionals will have to adopt to drive their business relevance.

Before she knew a thing about investing or became the brand manager for EasyEquities, the only performance that concerned Carly Barnes was that which took place on a stage. Within a very short space of time, drawing on the knowledge of her peers and the EasyEquities community (or yousers as she calls them), her spotlight shifted onto the performance of markets, shares and her own capabilities as an investor. In this Finance Indaba Africa session, Carly shares how she grew to understand and create her own investment portfolio, and how a new age of EasyEquities investors inspired her with their stories and experiences - true testament to the idea that anyone can invest and claim a stake in their financial future.

Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) and its subsidiaries (which includes GVM Metals Administration and Ferret) has announced their intention to sell their shares in Mooiplaats thermal coal colliery to a group of investors, MCH, for a price of R179.9 million.

Black-owned auditing firm Nkonki has always been synonymous with trailblazing. Founded in 1993 by brother and sister Mzi Nkonki and Sindi Zilwa, the second black woman in South Africa to become a chartered accountant, Nkonki was born into the turmoil of pre-democratic South Africa and faced numerous challenges, including access to funding and intellectual capital. Under Sindi’s aggressive and stereotype-shattering leadership, Nkonki would soon become one of the largest black empowerment assurance and advisory firms and the only majority female-owned auditing firm in South Africa to be accredited by the JSE to audit listed companies.

Are you just a bean-counter or do you want to make a more meaningful contribution and solve real business challenges? In this thought-provoking session at Finance Indaba Africa, you will learn more about how one organisation is reinventing its customer solution without losing its core purpose. Join Khomotso Molabe, Executive & Head Digital Banking, Moonshots and e-Commerce at Standard Bank and Warren Bond (pictured), Executive at Purple,and learn how you can navigate your current infrastructure and legacy systems to successfully reinvent your solutions. If your business wants a future this session will offer you a perspective like no other.

Many finance professionals find themselves leading small and medium-sized companies alongside entrepreneurs. They develop a strong entrepreneurial focus themselves but also help organisations grow and change with better governance, structure and finance insights. This Finance Indaba Africa session unpacks that experience with Evan Tsatsarolakis Financial Director at Taste Holdings – no matter the size of your organisation the lessons in entrepreneurial spirit will bring new energy and fresh perspectives.

Professor Alwyn Louw is the President of Monash South Africa (MSA), a premier institution of Higher Education and a platinum partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

In this thought-provoking Finance Indaba Africa session, Clive Butkow, CEO of Kalon Venture Partners, a section 12 J Venture Capital Company, will share his views on the growing FinTech sector and why it is reshaping the landscape for businesses and individuals alike. If you want a better sense of how FinTech is shaping your world and are just a little curious about how to create a better return on your hard-earned cash, be sure not to miss this session.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has announced that it intends to open six new hotels in Africa by 2020, creating approximately 2,100 jobs in the process.

This session will bring you business leaders who have taken bold steps and successfully grown their business on the African continent. Despite all the complexity growth is still possible. You'll hear the inspiration, struggles and successes from those who dared. If you want to grow your business in 2018, you can't miss this session at Finance Indaba Africa with Standard Bank's Sean Doherty.

In a time when most businesses are using data and analytics to drive better decision-making, more than half the global leaders in a CEO survey said they didn't trust the data. While “data is the new oil/gold etc.”, more businesses are understanding that data quality and data governance are key to getting real, actionable insights. Is this your challenge? In this session, KPMG data and analytics leader Frank Rizzo shares his experience of how organisations are improving their data management processes and ensuring that complex algorithms are generating reliable insights around customer, workforce and supplier behaviour. If you want to optimise your data and analytics efforts in 2018, this Finance Indaba Africa session will provide ideas and solutions to consider in your business.

"When businesses need to do KYC and FICA, they need to collect proof of residence and identity. It’s a massive frustration for clients. The backends of banks are not agile enough to handle this process – and this is where Indox comes in,” says Gur Geva, CEO of Indox, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

After transforming the chemical behemoth’s information technology and business systems, award-winning CFO Wayne Koonin is now stimulating Omnia’s growing appetite for acquisitions. “Omnia is an incredibly complex business with a lot of depth and an unlimited number of challenges, which suits my personality.”

Boardroom sparring partner, author and global speaker Martijn Aslander offers us a fascinating view on how you can mobilise an endless amount of knowledge and benefit from resources and ideas in your network. All you need to do is ask and make smarter use of the tools that are at your disposal to get things done and learn. Martijn will illustrate via inspiring examples that learning smart and fast is a mindset. It will open your eyes to new possibilities at Finance Indaba Africa!

Sibanye-Stillwater, previously Sibanye Gold, has started production on its Blitz project, located at the company’s Montana (US) operations. The 1,360 tonnes of ore that was excavated during development and stockpiled on the surface will now be processed.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

The journey to the C-suite is rarely straightforward or without challenges. Most will tell you that the challenge only starts when you get there. In this session, hear first-hand from executives who have not only reached the C-suite but made a genuine success of it. Join Mohammed Abdool-Samad (CFO Illovo) and Ramasela Ganda (CFO at Barloworld Equipment) for this fascination discussion at Finance Indaba Africa.

Financial service providers, from banks to broker dealers to investment advisors, face complex requirements of an expanding global regulatory landscape. Non-compliance with the rules can be extremely costly and damaging. But how can we address the regulatory requirements without losing operational efficiencies? Dominic Suszek, President and CEO of Global RADAR, has over 30 years of experience in the global financial industry. He will share his vision and experiences from a global perspective; from epic failures in compliance to the impact of technology. What is the state of compliance globally? How can we build efficient compliance processes? Dominic will show you how many financial institutions have successfully deployed a new breed of compliance tools. Join this Finance Indaba Africa session, hosted by DocFox, and discover the critical components of an effective and efficient compliance programme.

"We are financial specialists who understand the challenges of business administration optimisation. We want to connect with our peers and assist them to take their businesses digital," says Pieter van Zyl, founder of Canvas Intelligence, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

If you’re a financial or corporate professional, this talk will provide you with key insights on how large organisations use innovative and disruptive models to deliver what matters. The speaker, Jayshree Naidoo, is an innovation thought leader, the Head of the Standard Bank Incubator, the current CEO of Feenix She will take you through two specific models that Standard Bank has adopted to solve some of the most pressing challenges we face as a country. Don't miss her insights at Finance Indaba Africa!

Through the course of a tumultuous 365 days since the launch of the inaugural and extremely successful Finance Indaba Africa, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn alongside finance leaders and exceptional professionals, and I’ve learnt some great lessons. While some are familiar cliches and almost all seem like common sense, in my experience, it’s the obvious and common-sense advice that is often the hardest to live by. Here are my top five.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has issued a licence to TymeDigital (by Commonwealth Bank SA) – the first SARB licence to be issued to a new bank since 1999. TymeDigital is part of Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s (CBA) international financial services division, following CBA’s 2015 acquisition of FinTech company Tyme (take your money everywhere).

FNB Business has again been voted Top Corporate Bank in the 18th installment of the annual Sunday Times Top Brands survey.

4 Africa Exchange (4AX) has announced its first two issuers listings on the Exchange – NWK Limited and NWK Holdings Limited.

Internal audit is an integral part of the governance processes within an organisation but is it providing real business value? They provide the ears, eyes and the internal evaluation of organisational activities to both the organisation executive and governing bodies. With great technology, internal audit has the opportunity to be more than checks and balances, though it will have to partner effectively. If you want to improve the business value of your internal audit, this session with Charles Nel, Head of Technical at IIA SA, will offer insights and practical steps to achieving a next level internal audit. Don't miss out at this year's Finance Indaba Africa.

Our country needs more than new leaders. We need new ideas, and we need to each engage not just in debating but in doing. A career in elite-level policy circles taught Grassroot's Luke Jordan that change has to start from the grassroots up, and so he gave up the corridors of power for the streets. Join us at Finance Indaba Africa as we explore what he's learnt, and to debate what finance professionals can do to change our country's trajectory.

Blacfox has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Hyphen will show Finance Executives how to balance payment streams with a single technology stack, whilst enhancing reconciliation and treasury reporting – ultimately translating into optimised cashflow and cashflow reporting for Finance and Treasury teams," says Gillian Stumke, Head: Business Development of Hyphen Technology, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

What are the potential benefits of implementing an in-house bank? Many companies have discovered that in-house banking can lead to substantially lower funding costs, more control, and more effective cash management. In this hands-on Masterclass, Treasury Technologies' Rudolph Janse Van Rensburg will explain what steps your business can take to become its own bank. Join this session at Finance Indaba Africa and discover what the building blocks are and how finance can develop the internal bank of the business.

“We need a new perspective of doing business in Africa. Looking at the economic trajectory both locally and internationally for the next six to 12 months, more businesses are likely to become distressed. Now’s the time to act,” says Alastair Macduff, chairman and CEO of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Southern Africa.

It’s a man’s world but many women in South Africa have shown that with the right approach, a huge amount of tenacity and some good luck, there are no glass ceilings - just opportunity. Join this Finance Indaba Africa session if you want to know how great women leaders are shaping business. Learn from Nonkululeko Gobodo (CEO at Gobodo Incorporated), Mary Vilakazi (Deputy CEO at MMI Holdings) and Debbie Ransby (pictured, Finance Director South Africa and Algeria at Takeda) and be inspired.

Hyphen has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"VirtualIdentity is a convenient digital solution that allows a client to complete the tedious FICA process from the comfort of their home in under five minutes," says Ryan Barlow, Director of e4, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

What will South Africa look like beyond transformation? How can finance professionals help shape this? Is this even remotely feasible and how will we reach a place where socio-economic initiatives are aimed at every citizen? In this thought-provoking address at the Finance Indaba Africa, global speaker and venture capitalist Vusi Thembekwayo will ask the most pressing questions about how we will lift ourselves out of the inequality gutter and build a better future for all the people of South Africa.

Rand Merchant Bank’s (RMB) recently released ‘Where to Invest in Africa 2018’ report reveals interesting changes in its ratings of the continent’s most attractive investment destinations. Not only have Nigeria and Algeria dropped out of the top 10 (moving to positions 13 and 15 respectively), South Africa has surrendered its first place position to Egypt, now Africa’s most attractive investment destination.

As custodians of accountability, CFOs are under pressure to balance agility with watertight compliance, within an increasing number of regulations. Disruptive digital solutions can help businesses avoid fines and fine-tune compliance, while also improving service levels and the bottom line. They can do this by by onboarding customers more quickly and easily, as well as cheaper, than ever before, says David Thomas, co-founder and Head of Product at ThisIsme, the fast-growing Cape Town-based disruptive startup that helps businesses to reduce fraud, automate KYC, improve on-boarding and increase revenue while providing an on-demand, seamless customer experience.

DocFox is on a global mission to end money laundering and bring financial services to everyone. It has been an exciting journey for this company, from humble beginnings in a loft with three people, to building a global web application endorsed by Norton Rose Fulbright and funded and lead by the best minds in Silicon Valley. This presentation will share the incredible journey of this startup and explore the way in which it is ending money laundering, and delve into how it is partnering with clients locally and abroad to leverage the latest in technology to change how financial institutions operate. A discussion will also take place sharing the latest trends in FinTech and how institutions are leveraging technology globally to thrive.

We live in a digital era and are surrounded by smart technology. Today, we are able to unlock and utilise assets like never before. However, the financial supply chain - the way in which you pay and get paid - has been neglected for years. Most AP processes are manually executed, the use of alternative financing is poor, and the connectivity between all parties involved is limited. If you think of the financial supply chain as a liability rather than an asset, you are missing a huge opportunity. The real innovators have already worked out how to cash in. Are you next? Join the Intellection & Taulia session with Christo Jacobs (CEO at Intellection, pictured) and Sebastian Chilvers (European Sales Director at Taulia Inc) at the Finance Indaba Africa and discover a new way of dynamic payments underpinned by invoice automation. Learn how you can benefit from flexible financing and predictive intelligence in your financial supply chain.

Rakoma & Associates has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Mukuru is dismantling barriers for cross-border money transfers in Africa. We send more transactions out of South Africa than any other formal remittance company, yet we are still relatively unknown in the formal sector," says Andy Jury, CEO of Mukuru, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Do you want maximum business performance? Are you looking for a unique competitive advantage? Look under the hood and you’ll find your employee culture – it is the power that drives the enterprise engine. This keynote will show you how to gain the maximum commitment to your own culture for any strategy, goal or standard. Don't miss New York Times bestselling author and corporate culture guru, Stan Slap, who has achieved legendary impact for many of the world’s most successful organisations, at this year's Finance Indaba Africa, hosted by ClarkHouse.

Finance Indaba Africa is the only annual event on the continent where 5,000 finance professionals gather under one roof for two days to advance their knowledge, networks and careers. Come and see world-renowned speakers and visit the stands of over 60 exhibitors, and build yourself a better future.

AvaTrade has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

What if you could implement the best financial systems and technology enhancements? What if you could drastically improve every step of the accounting process? In this Finance Indaba Africa master class, AdvanceNet Group will show you how it is done. Using practical examples, the smart tools that are available today will be discussed and demonstrated, and an explanation of how to easily implement the latest technology without having to manage a complex IT project will be given. Learn how to strengthen controls, lower compliance risks and introduce greater efficiencies and visibility. Don't miss out on hearing how your finance team can enjoy the benefits of the digital age.

Standard Bank has joined the US-based INV FinTech accelerator programme as a partner in order to open up the African FinTech market for programme participants startups.

Nonkululeko Dlamini, chief financial officer at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), believes that CFOs have a duty to uplift and empower younger employees. “CFOs should be the most approachable people in the business,” she says.

Unilever and Remgro have announced a R11.9 billion deal that will see Unilever trade its spreads business (valued at R7 billion) in southern Africa for Remgro’s stake in its South African subsidiary, Reuters reports.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

Monash SA has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a platinum partner and will make its second showing at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

“Our role within Human Capital is to be the custodians of culture and strategically partner the people agenda that enables our business strategy,” says Anré Klopper-Stroh, Human Capital Head for the Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB) within the Standard Bank Group. “The role of the Human Capital team within CIB is to partner our people in, for and across Africa to realise their ambitions, thus enabling our clients and the communities in which we operate to achieve their objectives. Furthermore, we need to position ourselves for what the future holds by understanding the mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets required for our people to stay relevant and contribute to the ambitions of the business into the future.”

The board of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has suspended KPMG SA’s membership, pending the outcome of the independent investigation currently underway into the firm’s goings-on.

With ongoing revelations pointing to accountability failures at big international firms like KPMG, McKinsey and SAP, there is a desperate need for changes to our corporate mindsets and actions. Values based approaches to leadership and organisational development are powerful tools for minimising instances and impacts of unethical commercial behaviour. In this highly practical Finance Indaba Africa session with leading academic Dr Tim London, you'll hear more about the ways you can drive values based leadership throughout your organisation and encourage the behaviours that help your organisation thrive in complex times.

Indian mining billionaire Anil Agarwal (pictured) has said he intends to buy a further R27 billion worth of Anglo American shares. This in addition to the 12.43 percent stake he built since an announcement earlier this year that his Volcan unit would be investing in the company.

Canvas Intelligence has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Sihle Ndzimbomvu is an Audit Manager at leading black-owned accounting firm Ngubane & Co, a gold partner of Finance Indaba 2017. She heads up the training department, ensuring that there is continuous skills transfer and staff development.

UK FinTech Bridge, a comprehensive agreement covering government-to-government, regulator-to-regulator and industry-to-industry co-operation, has signed by Hong Kong and United Kingdom in London.

RCL Foods, one of the country’s largest food producers, has lost R26 million through having to cull a large percentage of its chicken stock, following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu.

What is the secret sauce that founders bring to a business? And how can finance help facilitate keeping the spirit alive in a growing company? Those were some of the questions explored by award-winning Investec CFO Nishlan Samujh, Yuppiechef co-founder Paul Galatis and Oracle's Armin Moradi.

e4 has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"New GX Advisory enables businesses to refocus on core competencies and creating value to all stakeholders by freeing key staff members from the burden of IT infrastructure, systems and process management," says Anja Goosen, head of systems at New GX Advisory Services, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Technology, Big Data and social networks are all having a massive impact on the workplace and how employees communicate, collaborate and go about their business. A new generation of workforces are more diverse than ever before and have ditched the traditional career model of remaining loyal to a single firm until the gold watch

Petrochemical giant Sasol has announced that it will be disbanding Sasol Inzalo, its BEE scheme, when it matures next year. Instead, it will be launching a replacement scheme, the R21-billion Khanyisa.

This time last year, South Africa’s first new stock exchange in several decades got underway. The brainchild of Etienne Nel, Geoff Cook and Graeme Wellsted, ZAR X has given the industry a huge shake up, though it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. CEO, Etienne Nel, spoke to CFO South Africa about the highs and lows, what they’ve learnt and what they’ve accomplished, in the year that’s passed since they set up shop.

Business automation and robotic process automation (RPA) is no longer an experiment and will move ahead at a rate of knots in the years to come. Those companies that do not come onboard with automation processes will find themselves on an uneven footing with their competitors and will be unable to attract and develop top talent. At the same time, finance departments and executives have struggled to get a handle on it. How much efficiency and performance can you derive from automation and what skills are needed to take the next step?

“Investing is not just about giving money for a return,” says Clive Butkow, CEO of Kalon Venture Partners. “Smart capital is about being a high touch investor that combines money with smart interventions leading to smart returns.”

InDox has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

A major shift is taking place in how enterprises select their financial management applications, with a migration to cloud applications happening faster than expected, according to Gartner, Inc. A recent Gartner survey of senior finance executives found that by 2020, 36 percent of enterprises will use the cloud to support more than half of their transactional systems of record.

Adrian Gore (pictured), Discovery CEO, has confirmed that the company is on track to open a bank next year. Gore was speaking at the group’s annual financial results presentation, where he described Discovery’s performance over the year as “robust”.

Palladium has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a gold partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

Payments provider Electrum, has been selected to participate in the Gartner Aspiring Innovators Programme, which aims to highlight innovative providers of enterprise technology to attendees of the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Africa 2017, which is being held in Cape Town from 18 to 21 September 2017. The audience includes over 1 000 CIOs and senior IT executives from Africa and around the world who are actively looking for new partners and solutions.

The industry in which Telkom operates is competitive; the environment fluid and prone to frequent change, says Deon Fredericks, the company’s group chief financial officer. Because of this, it considered BCX (then known as Business Connexion) twice, the smaller company first catching the eye of the telecoms behemoth in 2006/2007, and then again in 2012/2013. Eventually, the deal proved too good to be ignored: Telkom required an ICT company to provide end-to-end solutions to corporate customers and BCX was a complementary fit. Deon sat down with CFO South Africa to talk about the acquisition – a deal with a R2.7 billion price tag. “We are very focused on what we want to achieve with BCX in the market. We are starting to see some good wins through the venture.”

For a limited time, customers at Pick n Pay’s head office campus store will be able to use the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to pay for their purchases.

How can we build efficient compliance processes? What is the state of compliance globally? Facilitated by gold sponsor DocFox, one of the world’s leading compliance experts - Dominic Suszek - is coming to the Finance Indaba Africa to discuss these issues on 13 October at 11am in the Sandton Convention Centre.

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

TransUnion has joined Finance Indaba 2017 as a silver partner and will make its debut at the event at the Sandton Convention Centre in October.

"Embrace empowers Finance professionals to adapt to and meet the challenges of a rapidly changing business and systems environment, so as to remain relevant and competitive within their industry," says Ian Foster, Sales & Marketing Director of ACS-Embrace, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

An in-house bank may be simply defined as an internal organisation which assumes some of the functions traditionally performed by external commercial banks to provide enhanced performance, transparency and control. Traditionally, the operation of an in-house bank was regarded by most finance executives to be the preserve of the largest corporations. Despite the many benefits, these structures were thought to be too expensive and complicated to add cost effective value. As more efficient cloud solutions become available, the threshold barriers for justifying in-house bank adoption have been steadily lowered, and positive cost/benefit analyses are becoming more and more common.

New research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has revealed that nearly 40 percent of CEOs currently have digital transformation at the very top of their boardroom agenda, with almost a quarter of them personally leading their company’s transformation programmes.

“Invigorating!” That is what CFO of the Year 2015 Deon Viljoen called his first few months as CFO of Discovery, where he started in May this year, following a tough but celebrated tenure as Alexander Forbes CFO. “It has been a lot of fun, it has been busy, it has certainly been no controlled arrival,” said Deon during a recent CFO Summit in Johannesburg.

KPMG South Africa has undertaken a serious board clean-up in the aftermath of its dealings with the Guptas and the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Trevor Hoole (pictured), KPMG CEO in SA, was caught in the cross-hairs, and has since resigned. This, following a review of work done by the South African branch of the audit farm, which was carried out by its international arm.

"Nexia SAB&T provides an extensive range of professional services that are tailored to the specific requirements of our clients," says Ndumi Medupe, Chairperson of Nexia SAB&T, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

African FinTechs are able to apply for the prestigious Switzerland-based F10 accelerator.

“We are experiencing a period of radical change,” says Mandi Olivier (pictured), senior executive for professional development at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), when asked about the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"Futuresense exists to make complex company finance systems more efficient, reporting simpler and faster, and ultimately make the CFO’s life easier," says Steven Hyslop, Director of Futuresense, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The future of work holds a myriad of possibilities for change that business needs to adapt to. In order to do so, we need to understand the interconnections between evolving technology, the demographics at play and what power dynamics are emerging as a result. The future of work is being shaped by two powerful forces, the first being the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace and the second, expansion of the workforce to include both on- and off-balance-sheet talent.

Comair Limited has released its annual financial results, reporting a 54 percent increase in profits, to R297 million, as well as a 28 percent increase in cash generated by its operations. Moreover, income generated by its non-airline brands now constitutes 20 percent of its earnings.

You know for a fact that FinTech companies are shaping our future and you feel that your money can multiply if you only just invest in the right one. But how do you know which one that is? We chatted to Clive Butkow, the extremely experienced CEO of Kalon Venture Partners, and came back with six valuable tips from him.

JSE-listed South African dairy and foods group Clover has announced a poor set of results brought on by a severe drought and a volatile local currency. Annual earnings fell 66% and diluted headline earnings per share fell to 63.2 cents per share for the year ended 30 June 2017, compared with 184.7 cents per share for the same period last year. In addition, Clover said it would not declare a final dividend due to the weak economic conditions and funding requirements.

"Internal auditors are an integral part of the governance processes within an organisation. They provide the ears, eyes and the internal evaluation of organisational activities to both the organisation executive and governing bodies," says Dr Claudelle von Eck, CEO of the Institute of Internal Auditors SA (IIA SA), a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Sim Tshabalala (pictured) has been appointed the sole CEO of Standard Bank Group, bringing to an end the dual role he shared with Ben Kruger. The appointment also makes Tshabalala the first black person to lead Africa’s largest lender independently.

"We will outline the many advantages of trading with AvaTrade at Finance Indaba 2017, such as regulation, variety, technology, service and all the other great features we offer our clients," says Dáire Ferguson, CEO of AvaTrade, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Five siblings, five exceptional professionals. This is the remarkable story of the Kathan family: one medical doctor, one Deloitte executive, and no less than three CFOs. We sat down with Veran, Christine, Justine, Mark, and Sunita to talk about the forces that shaped their lives, what motivates them, and their hopes for their children.

“Professional skepticism is about auditing the time, mindset, attitude and related questions about how management has scouted the transactions and applied judgments and assessments within disclosures in the financial statements as well,” says Ken Siong, technical director of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). “It’s very critical [to have professional skepticism] to enable auditors to get to the bottom of issues to make sure they can be confident and evaluate critical issues, and whether those issues have been accounted for and presented in financial statements.”

Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don’t worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi, has received 166 applications from over 39 countries for its inaugural FinTech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge.

As the head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) for Africa at Standard Bank, Victor Williams is responsible for corporate and investment banking in the 19 countries – excluding South Africa – that comprise the Africa Regions. He says the bank serves corporate, sovereign and institutional clients (local corporates and multinationals) in those markets, providing them with global markets, transactional banking and investment banking services. “In each of the markets in which we are present we are looking to build the leading corporate and investment banking franchise in that market,” he says.

African Oxygen (Afrox) has announced that its half-year profits rose 22 percent, after earnings were boosted by increased volumes and effective cost management. Headline earnings per share rose to 93.3 cents per share, compared with 76.5 cents per share for the same period last year. This was in line with what the company had previously flagged to the market.

South Africa’s manufacturing output fell 1.4 percent year-on-year in July, after contracting by a revised 2.2 percent in June, Statistics South Africa has said.

Stellenbosch-based Capitec Bank Holdings has pipped Nedbank Group as South Africa’s fourth-largest lender by value, extending market-beating rally that has made it SA’s best-performing stock.

"We are passionate about customers achieving real value from the use of Data Analytics and I believe the best way to support this is through sharing experiences and customer stories," says Simon Kirby, Director of Financial Services Industry Solutions at Qlik. South Africa Qlik Master Reseller is a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2017 on 12 and 13 October 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Seamless East Africa – the region’s most extensive technology and solution event for the FinTech, payments and banking industries – opened its doors yesterday at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi.

“What is clear is that the shareholders are beginning to make their voice heard at AGMs regarding the necessity for firm rotation to end excessively long relationships,” says Bernard Agulhas (pictured), CEO of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA). “Where audit committees may feel a 20-year, 50-year or longer relationship might not impair auditor independence, shareholders are saying otherwise.”

Gen Z is optimistic about their future as they begin to enter the workforce. In fact, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of EY Gen Z interns surveyed by the firm at its 21st annual International Intern Leadership Conference (IILC), feel confident that they will be better off, both financially and in happiness at work, than their parents.

From customer interface to back office support, automation has become an important issue that CFOs cannot afford to ignore. But will a failure to adopt automation mindset make your business extinct? Just how much efficiency and performance can you derive from automation and do you have the skills to take the next step?

Vodafone has announced that it has sold 90 million ordinary shares in Vodacom – some 5.2 percent – to institutional investors. The shares were sold at R165 apiece. It did this through an accelerated book-build process.

Once a savvy boy-entrepreneur and then a sleepless 20-something who perhaps understood SAB’s business better than the brewer itself, young Nick Bell is now building the billion-rand professional services firm that every CFO should know about: Decision Inc.. “We help clients make the decisions they should be making and provide them with a platform to unleash their potential.”

JSE-listed dump recycling specialist DRDGold, which processes old gold tailings dumps to extract residual gold, declared a 5c per share final dividend for the year ended 30 June 2017 – a year CEO Niel Pretorius describes as having been challenging, but which involved steps to position the company well for FY2018 and beyond.

Google has expanded its six-month, equity-free Launchpad Accelerator programme to seven more countries in Africa, after initially only opening it up to startups from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The tech behemoth will now also accept applicants from Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.

During an invite-only CFO South Africa dinner at the spectacular Four Seasons hotel in Westcliff, finance leaders swapped notes about outsourcing, building internal capability and identifying the – sometimes shifting – core of the business. Sponsored by global BPO giant WNS, the exclusive gathering provided conversation of extremely high quality, highly effective networking and a high-powered ending, thanks to the inimitable storyteller Rob Caskie.