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AB InBev has reported a drop in third-quarter profit. According to the Belgian brewer, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation fell 2%. The shares fell by close on 6% in Brussels. The company has also cut its revenue forecast due to Brazil, its second-largest market, having a difficult year. It previously cut its forecast for Brazilian revenue in July, predicting unchanged sales. Furthermore, it said sales growth is unlikely to beat inflation this year because of declining volumes in the South American country. In numbers, its Ebitda in Brazil declined by 33%. Moreover, the company announced a decrease in SABMiller's beer volume as a result of weakness in Africa. SABMiller’s lager volume dropped 2% in the three months through September. A transport strike in Colombia, which became Europe’s largest company by market value after the acquisition, contributed to this decrease. Interestingly, the SABMiller results were not consolidated in AB InBev’s figures, and excluded joint ventures as well as assets that were sold or which are up for sale.

Far from slowing down now that retirement age is looming, Osman Arbee is about to enjoy a serious promotion. The CFO of Imperial Holdings will become CEO of Imperial Motors in January, and will hold both posts simultaneously for three months while he grooms the next CFO to replace him. “It’s not a bad way to finish off your career, running a big business for three to four years then retiring,” he says. “It’s a nice change at the right time of my life, working with people I enjoy working with in a business I know and enjoy. It’s an opportunity to use my brain in another way.”

An incredible lineup of top CFOs will shine their light on the topic that can make or break a modern business: risk. Inspired by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's quote 'The biggest risk is not taking any risk', finance executives Sandile Ntsele, (MTN South Africa), Luvuyo Masinda (Standard Bank CIB) and Charl Keyter (Sibanye Gold) will discuss risk and results, not as a threat but as an opportunity.

ABSA Capital, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and Nedbank took home big awards at the 15th annual Spire awards, hosted by the JSE. ABSA Capital, RMB and Nedbank were crowned winners of the Best Bonds House, Best Fixed Income and Currencies House, Best FX House and Best Research House and Best Interest Derivative House respectively. RMB alone took home a total of 11 awards on the evening. Bernard Claassens (pictured), Manager: Fixed Income at the JSE, said:

So you want to sign up for SA's new blockbuster training, but how do you convince your boss to approve it? Here you will find 10 reasons why your boss should send you to this training:

By 2020, companies will have shifted the majority of their research and development (R&D) spend away from product-based offerings to software and service offerings, according to the 2016 Global Innovation 1000 Study from Strategy&, PwC’s strategy consulting business. The need to stay competitive is the top reason why companies cited this shift in their R&D budgets. Liesbeth Botha (pictured), Strategic Digital Transformation Leader, PwC Africa, said:

The latest research from Kaspersky Lab, a global cybersecurity company, shows that half of the mobile devices around the globe are at risk from cybercrime and malicious threats, due to inadequate protection. The research suggests that users are unaware of the need to protect their mobile devices with a security solution – while 69% think that their desktops and laptops definitely need IT security software, only 56% think the same about smartphones and tablets. Victor Yablokov (pictured) Head of Mobile Product Line at Kaspersky Lab, said:

The Registrar of Banks this week gave Discovery permission to establish a banking presence in the country, so helping the entity take its first steps to starting its own bank in South Africa.

The biggest failure in business is that failure itself is not accepted and it is something to be shunned upon said Easy Equities CEO Charles Savage. Teach your staff to accept failure, said Charles during an inspirational session at the Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2016.

South African gold producer Gold Fields, which has mines from Australia to South Africa to Peru, will invest $1.4 billion to extend by eight years the life of its Damang operation in Ghana. The investment, which will be paid over the eight-year period, will keep the mine in operation until 2024.

Standard Bank treasurer Paul Burgoyne brought together a strong panel at the Finance Indaba Africa on 13 October 2016, to discuss accessing liquidity in Africa. The speakers included CFO and VP of Olam International, Bikash Prasad, as well as three Standard Bank team members: head of institutional sales Africa, Mark Kalil, VP for power and infrastructure finance, George Kotsovos, and global head: client solutions & distribution, global markets Steve Barnes.

Most of us are surely well aware of the recent protests around the #FeesMustFall movement, which has seen thousands of students demonstrate against fee increases and appeal for free higher education. In a recent presentation to MPs, the Parliamentary Budget Office projected that fee-free education at universities would cost South Africa around R250 billion over a three-year period.

What is the cost of not knowing? Perhaps that is the most important question in business today.

Dr Martyn Davies explains why South Africa is struggling to regain growth levels, and what is needed to make us economically relevant again.

Servest Group CFO Peter Walsh earned as many laughs as he landed “blows” in a challenging talk on transformation presented at the Finance Indaba Africa in Johannesburg on 13 October 2016. Walsh’s talk was called “Embracing transformation: Head, heart and hands”, and he kicked off by “owning that white male problem” – being a white man talking about transformation in South Africa. Still, he persevered, winning over his audience with his frank and self-deprecating address, and posing some extremely tough questions to his audience.

In a Volatile Uncertain Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world, management accountants are expected to provide better support for decision-making, performance management and ongoing ‘insight’, in the form of financial and non-financial data. According to a latest CGMA research, ‘Business analytics and decision making – The human dimension’, analytics has little to do with technology. It is people, not technology, who give data meaning. While there may be technical issues to address, such as getting access to data, combining data sets or integrating financial data with data generated from social media or ‘connected things’, no analytical tool can do more than augment or complement what is a cognitive and sometimes social process. Generating insight is an inherently human trait. Thus, business intelligence resides not in the data warehouse but in the minds of people.

Growing up in a rural village in Mokopane, Limpopo, Irene Mathatho, current CFO of the Companies Tribunal, didn’t have a role model. But she liked to read and loved to learn. “I even found it interesting going to the bank, watching the tellers. I used to think, one day I want to be somewhere in these offices,” she recalls. Discovering she had a natural aptitude for accounting, Irene chose to embrace this, though she laughs when she says she wasn’t aware of all the hard work a career in finance would entail. The Companies Tribunal is an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). It was established in terms of the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008 to adjudicate applications made in terms of Section 195 of the Act and resolve disputes through mediation, conciliation and arbitration. As CFO, Irene oversees the full finance function. Given the relative newness of the entity – it was established in 2012 – her job is not without plentiful challenges. We chatted to Irene about what she’s achieved since taking up the position and how she’s finding life in the public sector. Tell us about your current role and your team. “I am the first CFO at the Companies Tribunal. When it was established, many of the functions were outsourced to KPMG, including some of the CFO functions. I had to begin by reviewing some policies that KPMG developed and devise my own. I also had to align policies to processes. I’m responsible for the overall management of the finances and the preparation of financial reports, supply chain management, risk management, payroll management, asset management and strategic planning. I also need to ensure compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, as well as that everything complies with generally recognised accounting practices.”

Discovery Life has been issued with a R2.5 million administrative penalty by the Financial Services Board (FSB) for contravening section 3A of the General Code of Conduct for Financial Service Providers. The contravention pertains to Discovery’s recruitment of several financial advisers and the inclusion of sign-on bonuses. According to reports, the group finalised employment offers one day after amendments to section 3A of the code came into effect. According to the amendment, a Category I financial services provider authorised or appointed to give advice may not receive a sign-on bonus, and no person may offer or provide a sign-on bonus to any person as an incentive to becoming a Category I provider. A Discovery spokesperson has been quoted in the media as saying that while the paperwork in respect of the appointments was concluded post the publication of the regulations, the negotiations and process were done ahead of the deadline. Discovery has, however, reversed the payments made to the advisers as per the agreement with the FSB.

“We have no idea where and who our competitors are anymore,” .said business expert Terry Moore in a workshop at the Finance Indaba Africa facilitated by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). In his talk, titled Surviving In An Age of Radical Uncertainty he explored the challenges and opportunities facing chartered accountants and businesses in general.

Integrated reporting improves firm value, cash flows, and analyst forecast accuracy. It also leads to more dedicated long-term investors. That is the conclusion of four academics in this guest article written exclusively for CFO South Africa, based on research they conducted with financial support of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Using mostly South African data, they argue that CFOs should care deeply about integrated reporting. By Mary E. Barth, Steven F. Cahan, Li Chen, and Elmar R. Venter* Since the financial crisis, several questions have been raised about the appropriateness of the traditional corporate reporting model. Key statistics highlight some of these concerns about corporate reporting. In 1975, around 83 percent of the market value of S&P 500 firms could be explained by physical and financial assets; by 2009, that number dropped to 19 percent. The remaining 81 percent consist of intangibles; most of which are currently not communicated to investors. Bob Laux, senior director financial accounting and reporting at Microsoft, argues that “the value-drivers of a company are increasingly intangible and include items such as intellectual and human capital as well as environmental, social and governance issues”. In his view, such changes in the ways in which company value is created are not matched by developments in corporate reporting. In line with this concern about unreported value drivers, EY points out that, on average, the number of pages devoted to noting disclosure in financial statements and in management discussion and analysis quadrupled from 1972 to 2012. Former United States vice president, Al Gore, and David Blood warn that “despite the volume and frequency of information made available by companies, access to more data for public equity investors has not necessarily translated into more comprehensive insight on companies”. Adding to the disclosure burden may therefore not necessarily be the solution to the unreported value drivers. The proponents of integrated reporting see it as the solution to this vexatious issue. In this article, we briefly discuss what integrated reporting is (and what it is not), together with some of the academic evidence emerging on the benefits of integrated reporting. What is integrated reporting?

With the introduction of the new accounting software, Blackline, organisations can manage the entire accounting and finance lifecycle and gain a global view into tasks and processes, all in one centralised, secure and reliable system. These were the words of Josh May, the Senior Solutions Consultant and Product Manager at Blackline, who gave a presentation on how the software works during Finance Indaba Africa held at Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. By Tiisetso Tlelima

Lewis announced on 21 October that the National Credit Regulator's (NCR) affordability assessment guidelines, along with the currently tough economic times, have led to the retailer’s profit dropping by up to 45% in half-year trading. The company said in a statement:

Zimbabwe has cleared its 15-year-old financial arrears with the IMF, making itself current on all its financial obligations to the institution.

Two case studies show how Cognos Disclosure management saves CFOs a significant amount of time when generating reports.

It is estimated that 330 million adult Africans lack access to basic financial services. In the face of an outstanding opportunity, an ecosystem of FinTech startups providing payments and money transfer solutions have grown to transform a cash-heavy payments industry on the continent.

UK-based investment group Vasari has finalised its acquisition of the operational assets of KWV for a sum of R1.15 billion. Vasari sees the South African wine and spirits producer as a “strategic asset” that will enable it to capitalise on growth opportunities in the wine and brandy sector. KWV was sold to Vasari by Niveus Holdings, the listed investment holding company majority controlled by HCI. John Copelyn, HCI CEO, writing in the company’s latest annual report, said that the exit from KWV was “very lucrative”, and that “the price achieved effectively doubled the value of Niveus’s investment over five years”. Boyce Lloyd (pictured), an SABMiller executive with more than 20 years of experience in the beverage industry, will become the new KWV CEO from November. Until recently Lloyd was the integration director for the AB InBev-SABMiller merger. Vasari has investments in various areas, such as alcoholic beverages, confectionary, soft drinks, and foods, across various markets, including Europe, Africa and Asia. Among its brands are independent Scotch whisky producer Whyte & Mackay, and Ethiopian brewer, Dashen Brewery.

Are you looking for a great job in an international fast growing company? You found it. A fantastic chance for an experienced media sales manager. A great challenge for a skilled professional that wants to make a real contribution to Africa and to the company: CFO South Africa PTY Ltd, your future employer.

What could Shakespeare’s life possibly teach us about finance today? Standard Bank’s Sean Doherty has some ideas…

Old Mutual experts explained how insurers can help companies to exchange the uncertainty of a long-term liability for the certainty of an insurance premium.

Lafarge Africa has announced the appointment of a new CFO, Bruno Bayet (pictured), effective 1 October 2016. Prior to becoming CFO of Lafarge Africa Bayet was the Strategy Director; a position he held since April this year. Bayet, a Belgian, was Manager, Corporate Finance, with PwC from 1998 to 2005, and Senior Analyst in the Investments team of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert from 2005 to 2011. Before joining Lafarge, Bayet was an executive committee member of Enterprise Generale Malta Forrest (RDC) from 2011 to 2013, having gained over 15 years of experience in the construction and materials industry. He was appointed Director of Ashakacem Plc in later 2013, combining the role of CFO in September 2014. Bayet holds a Business Engineering degree from Universite Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, and completed his Master’s in Business Administration at Georgetown University, specialising in Financial Risks Management.

Team Athena from the Copperbelt University in Zambia were crowned the winners of the first edition of the CharterQuest CFO Case Study Competition at the rock-star conclusion of the Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 14 October 2016.

FNB has been named the ‘Most Innovative Bank’ of 2016. At the African FinTech Awards (#afta16), a heavyweight panel of judges chose the popular bank over fellow finalists Absa and Standard Bank in the ‘Incumbent Bank’ category. FNB also received the most online votes, taking home the ‘Public Award’ in the same category.

Thomson Reuters has launched its newest Data and Innovation Lab, located in Cape Town. The lab will see Thomson Reuters engage with the region’s vibrant innovation ecosystem and dynamic start-up community. The Labs have two primary objectives: innovation and partnership. Innovation will come through driving creative conversations with customers and partners through open events and rapid prototyping, while partnership involves collaboration and co-creation with startups and other partners to put new technology and business models into practice. Mona Vernon (pictured), vice president of Thomson Reuters Labs, said:

Most CFOs think that good budgeting means cutting costs instead of looking at ways to stop wasteful spending, said Accenture’s Madeleine Joubert during Finance Indaba Africa, which was held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. But zero-based budgeting means focusing on both top and bottom line, she explained. "It’s not about cutting costs, but redirecting the money.”

CFOs in the public sector have to be as skilled in the art of strategic relationship-building and diplomacy as they are with working with numbers, finance executives agreed in a breakaway session at the Finance Indaba Africa at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 14 October 2016.

Standard Chartered has appointed Mohamed Abdel Bary (pictured) as Regional CFO, Africa & Middle East (AME), with immediate effect. Sunil Kaushal, Regional CEO for Africa & the Middle East, said following the announcement:

We’ll never again have economic growth like we have known before, says Martijn Aslander. And that’s okay...

“We weren’t expecting so many people,” explained entrepreneur and Beerhouse founder Randolf Jorberg, as he put out the crate of craft beer at the front of the room, inviting the audience to help themselves. Still, the promise of beer brought the crowd in, and the resulting fascinating case study in crowdfunding kept them.

MTN has agreed to make a €20-million investment in support of Iran’s first taxi-hailing smartphone application, Snapp. This as the telecoms company tries to repatriate R15.4 billion from the country, following the lifting of US-led economic sanctions, and strengthen its ties with the Middle Eastern nation. According to Shahram Shahkar, Snapp founder and CEO (pictured), the money will be used by the app’s owner, Iran Internet Group, which operates and invests in start-up and e-commerce companies, to expand the company’s service offering to other cities.

In his presentation titled The Inconvenient Truth About Cybersecurity at CFO South Africa’s Finance Indaba Africa, which took place on 14 October 2016, KPMG Cyber Security Manager Nathan Desfontaines called on CFOs to be more involved in finding solutions to dealing with cyber attacks in their organisations.

Diversity in the workplace is both constitutionally mandated and fundamentally good for business. This was the message from award-winning Discovery Health CFO Brett Tromp, in a discussion moderated by Talent Africa’s Auguste Coetzer, at the Finance Indaba held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 14 October 2016.

The “Africa rising” narrative that dominated headlines ten years ago has taken an anecdotal beating, affected by the downturn in commodities, and several of the continent’s biggest economies being plagued with poor growth, both private and public corruption, and political bad news. But, investment wise, does that mean Africa is no longer a strong growth space? Do investors consider this bubble burst?

Political upheaval, King IV and ethical leadership were all on the agenda as some of KPMG’s leading minds applied themselves to the question of regulatory change and its impact on business at the Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 14 October in an entertaining session hosted by the multinational auditor.

“Students of the future are often students of history,” Futurist Graeme Codrington told attendants of the inaugural Finance Indaba Africa 2016, during his presentation on 14 October 2016. They study moments of change and disruption in history to understand what underlies huge disruption in our present age. Graeme – an international speaker, consultant, and best-selling author who has built a career out of preparing companies for change – believes that the echoes of the past, the ones that were present at the last major social renaissance, are present in the world today, and companies fail to heed them at their peril.

Mervyn King told the Finance Indaba Africa that business has shifted from thinking about short-term profit to focusing on sustainable capitalism, but that there is much still to be done.

During CFO South Africa’s Finance Indaba Africa held at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016, Head of the Advisory IT at Grant Thornton, Oupa Mbokodo warned internal auditors about playing a policing role in an organisation and encouraged them to employ a more integrated thinking approach to their audits.

“One ERP is not about creating a utopia, but using technology to create an illusion of a single interface for things like cash and shared service centre management. Robotics is fantastic – we have a lab in Germany dedicated to playing around with – but most robots today only fix things that are broken.”

Finance industry giant Professor Mervyn King has motivated for a “rebranding” or repositioning of chief financial officers (CFO) into chief value officers (CVO). Professor King made a strong case for this during a public discussion with Johannesburg Stock Exchange CFO Aarti Takoordeen, at the second day of the Finance Indaba Africa 2016.

How should smart leaders position their organisations for change? That was the central question in a through-provoking keynote from KPMG chairman Ahmed Jaffer at the firm's cocktail function on 13 October 2016 at the Finance Indaba Africa. The event was one of the highlights of #findaba16, with the who's who of CFOs and corporate South Africa enjoying the entertainment, food & drinks and networking.

"Let's take the lessons and the inspiration from the Finance Indaba Africa with us and use it in our daily jobs," said SAICA CEO Terence Nombembe at the opening of day 2 of #findaba16. In an impassioned plea, he called on finance professionals to start contributing more to the future of South Africa, listing several practical steps for CA(SA)s and other finance professionals. "All of us need to be courageous enough."

Well over 3000 finance professionals came to the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 October for the first day of the very first Finance Indaba Africa, an expo and conference that has announced itself as the annual highlight on the calendar of South Africa's finance professionals. With 75 exhibitors, 120 speakers and incredible energy levels, the success of the event was firmly established - attendees and partner organisations alike enjoying massive value from the interactions, learning and sharing of knowledge.

Easy Equities is the overall winner of the 2016 African FinTech Awards at the Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 13 October 2016.

Two women share their views on what women need to do to achieve success in the finance industry, and how they can uplift other women along the way.

Keeping track of what happens in the business and measuring everything is what makes McDonald’s flourish as a business, conference attendees heard during Finance Indaba Africa which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016.

A presentation by South African Auditor-General, Thembekile Makwetu was one of the hottest tickets at the inaugural Finance Indaba Africa – which opened at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 13 October 2016. The Auditor-General’s speech kicked off the 'Finance for Africa' track programme at the Indaba.

Two CFOs who have developed their careers by working in different locations around the world share their views on whether international experience is essential on your CV.

Cube Bucks, The Sun Exchange and Bankymoon went head to head in the hotly contested Blockchain & Bitcoin category of the 2016 African FinTech Awards at the Finance Indaba Africa at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 13 October 2016.

We define productivity as achieving what you want to achieve with the least effort, or having the ability to achieve what you want to achieve with the least effort,” Marcel van den Berg says.

“The culture of an organisation, our mindset and how we do things can constrain the growth of a company,” said Deloitte’s Global Research Director Dr Ajit Kambil during a talk titled Leading with Insight: Are you a strategic CFO? at Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Servicing the millions of unbanked citizens of Africa and bringing them into the mainstream economy through FinTech innovations – the mission of many startups – can thwart poverty and other social ills, as well as enable the continent to compete on a level footing with the rest of the world. This was the core message coming out of the opening discussion of the African FinTech Awards at the 2016 Finance Indaba Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 13 October 2016.

Can you unlearn what you know and learn what you not yet understand? That is what maverick investor, disruptor and global speaker Vusi Thembekwayo asked finance professionals during the energetic and thought-provoking speech that officially opened Finance Indaba Africa 2016 in the morning of 13 October 2016.. "Are you able to innovate and build a business for the future?"

The day that finance professionals have been looking forward to for many months has finally arrived - it is time for Finance Indaba Africa! With two days of learning, inspiration and unparalleled networking, the inaugural event has already established itself as the biggest conference and expo for African finance teams in the world. The numbers are impressive: 13 & 14 October 2016, Sandton Convention Centre, 5000 attendees, 120 sessions with speakers and discussions and 75 exhibitors.

"We understand the world of fintech through our mobile expertise and having launched a financial services product in a regulated environment," says Ahmed Cassim, Chief Commercial Officer of Hello Group, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Entrepreneurship, risk and return, an awesome programme on 14 October 2016.

"FinTech is completely revolutionising the speed, the scale and the cost of getting services to the people. This is transformational for Africa – and it is this transformation that drives Cellulant to continue realising this for millions of consumers and thousands of businesses," says Ken Njoroge, Group CEO of Cellulant, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

"A single platform can become the main source of information for all digital channels, not only enabling banks and other financial institutions to offer their clients an engaging experience, but also solving simple problems related to the integration of data and reducing infrastructure costs," says Jakub Piotrowski, CRO and Head of Customer Engagement at Meniga, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

To close the Finance Indaba Africa in style, CFOs and FDs are invited to an exclusive CFO South Africa cocktail function, in collaboration with global credit insurance company Euler Hermes. One of Europe's most revered analysts, chief economist Ludovic Subran, will give a insightful talk about the biggest risks that (South) African CFOs are facing and the best ways to deal with it. To warm up for the main event, we asked Ludovic a few questions.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: The Future of FinTech, an exhilarating programme on 13 October 2016.

Introduction of mandatory audit firm rotation will “dilute the oversight role of audit committees and of shareholder rights”, says Christine Ramon, award-winning CFO of AngloGold Ashanti and chairperson of the CFO Forum, a lobby group of finance executives for large listed companies and state-owned entities.

The Finance Indaba Africa is the annual one-stop-shop for everything finance professionals need to know to grow their careers and help the country and continent prosper. It is only fitting that some of South Africa's most exciting home-grown artists will be on stage to provide the entertainment during the event Their performances are kindly sponsored by the National Arts Council of South Africa, with Young CFO of the Year Dumisani Dlamini as its driving forces.

"Zero-Based Budgeting is a new way of budgeting annually to allow business to prioritise and investing in activities that will drive competitive advantage and revenue growth," says Dr Madeleine Joubert, Finance and Enterprise Performance Lead at Accenture. "Companies should consider removing waste and freeing up capital that can then be turned to more lucrative activities. At the Indaba, we’ll provide them with the insights and expertise on how to achieve exactly that."

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Finance leading with data and insight, a two-day programme opening up the world of analytics and technology.

Which three forex developments will be most significant for SA businesses between now and 2020? And Which import and export trends should CFOs be aware of? Those are some of the questions we are asking Herman Bezuidenhout, CEO at trade and forex company BeztForex, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016.

"Cryptocurrency and 'click once' authenticated payments will be prominent in the future," says Thomas Pays, CEO of iPay, a simple, real-time EFT payment solution, that allows consumers to make secure, instant payments directly into a merchant’s bank account.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Finance in Control, a two-day programme for all finance professionals.

Oracle is a platinum partner at the Finance Indaba Africa on 13 and 14 October 2016. Why should you come listen to what they have to say? Read this excellent piece by Dee Houchen and find out!

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Public Finance Leadership, a programme tailor-made for people with an interest in helping the country forward in the public sector.

“Not only is SAP Business One key to the smooth running of daily operations and the business at large, but I personally have found it invaluable in the execution of my role as finance manager,” says Annemarie Haywood, finance manager at staffing solutions company CallForce. Annemarie will be part of a panel, hosted by 4most, at the Finance Indaba Africa on 14 October 2016 (see details below). We spoke to her ahead of the landmark event.

“The Association of Accounting Technicians South Africa [AAT (SA)] adds value where CFOs and strategic people need to make decisions. If you get the work right at support staff level there are less errors, the quality of financial statements should be better, you should see shorter month-end periods and cleaner audits,” says Nadine Kater, General Manager of the organisation. We had a chat to Nadine about the organisation and where it fits into the industry, as well as what value it adds to finance professionals.

"CFOs have to have a deep understanding of these models and be creative around the understanding of the financial implications of the benefits and the risks to their businesses going forward," says Lenore Kerrigan, Country Sales Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at OpenText, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) is often a "solution looking for a problem", says Fayez Choudhury, CEO of International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organisation for the accountancy profession. "This is all the more critical in light of the costs of regulation to businesses trying to operate in a global environment, and possible unforeseen consequences," he writes in this opinion piece, in which he is critical about the South African Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) and its timeline to introduce MAFR.

The Finance Indaba Africa is THE place where finance professionals can get to grips with the latest and greatest technologies around. Besides well-established brands like SAP, Oracle and IBM, there is also space for a number of exciting, highly specialised companies. One of those is silver partner Larc AI. We spoke to Jannie Strydom, CEO of Larc AI about his message for finance teams.

There was an electric discussion even before guests had sat down at last night’s CFO South Africa dinner. That’s to be expected when you bring exceptional finance leaders together from across multiple industries. When you add a futurist and fantastic know-how of executives from partner Old Mutual Corporate, the learning is palpable.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Skills and knowhow for finance, which will take place on 13 October 2016 and features one the the world's most inspiring accountants!

You already know that your business can help move transformation forward through job creation and human capacity development. But do you realise that transformation can also help your business move forward? We talk to Bongani Coka, CEO of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), who will be presenting the amazing results of Project Achiever at the Finance Indaba Africa on 14 October 2016 at 14h30.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Smart Finance, Smart Business a two-day programme about the power of technology.

The mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) that will be introduced in South Africa next year might include incentives for Big 4 firms to partner with smaller, black-owned competitors. The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) is considering to allow auditors to stay with the same client for a longer period, provided they enter into joint audits when their mandatory tenure comes to an end, says IRBACEO Bernard Agulhas. In this exclusive interview with CFO South Africa he also notes his disappointment about the negative response from CFOs to mandatory firm rotation.

The CFO Case Study Competition’s Round 2: Public Votes has ended with Team Snipers from Ghana taking the lead with over 900 votes. They are now the official winners of this round and take with them 2 points to their credit as they proceed into Round 3: Semi-finals to be held at the JSE Limited on 13 October 2016. Over 2,500 votes were casted in total for the teams in this round.

Following continued expansion into Africa and the introduction of new business models built around digital offerings, SilverBridge has reported strong financial results for the year ending 30 June 2016. Its net profit increased by 21 percent to R10.1 million and its cash balance improved to R27 million, up from the R18.2 million of the comparative period last year.

"The Finance Indaba is an ideal platform for Linxus to engage with key decision makers by demonstrating the value we can add to any business through our software products," says Russell Glover, managing director at Linxus, a a gold partner at the Finance Indaba next week. We spoke to him exclusively. Why is Linxus present at the Indaba? "Linxus is a Software Solutions business that specialises in the building and implementing solutions that drive operational efficiencies, reduce cost and mitigate risk. Our focus is on delivering appropriate and responsible solutions that are developed and implemented rapidly thereby addressing current business needs in a time frame that enables businesses to grow and or reduce cost, ultimately driving profitability in your business."

Connect Africa Payments is a B2B technology solution, connecting various payment networks. Members of the hub are able to facilitate cross-network transfers. The Kenya-based FinTech company is a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa. We asked Caroline Cherotich to tell us a bit more.

"Key to the CFO’s success is having a reliable “wingman” in the form of the Corporate Treasurer, who provides support in not only managing financial variable risks, ensuring access to and supplying liquidity to business operations, but also in identifying, assessing and preparing for potential threats to business liquidity which may not be patently obvious and are difficult to identify when part of the myriad of issues the CFO is contending with," says Nigel Grey, chairman of the Association of Corporate Treasurers of Southern Africa (ACTSA), a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

“We’ve always defined our service offering as audit and state of the nation type reports, but over the past five years, we’ve engaged with CFOs and accounting officers very proactively, especially around the basics of internal control that we believe can move them in the right direction," says Jan van Schalkwyk, corporate executive at the Auditor-General of SA, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Given the connectedness of organisations today, cyber security has become a fundamental part of business. Nathan Desfontaines, KPMG’s Cyber Security Manager in South Africa, believes that this environment is challenging CFOs to look differently at operational requirements. He wrote this guest article in anticipation of the Finance Indaba Africa.

Dutch productivity guru Marcel van den Berg, Think Productive’s director for Western Europe, who will be speaking at the upcoming Finance Indaba Africa 2016, sat down to talk to us about productivity – where we’re going wrong, how we can improve, and how simple changes can have big consequences.

"Accounting professionals specifically, and finance professionals more generally, are faced with ever-evolving challenges arising from the expectation to remain abreast of standards and global best practices. Our role is to provide training opportunities that are flexible, affordable, relevant and of high quality," says Raymond Chamboko, director at W.Consulting, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Award-winning finance executive Greg Davis has been named Chief Financial Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI). From 18 October 2016 he will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring strategic management of all financial and fiscal aspects of the bank’s finance operations from its headquarters in the West-African country Togo.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: SME Growth and Profitability, a two-day programme for finance professionals working for smaller firms and medium-sized businesses.

"Sureswipe champions entrepreneurial growth by ensuring that we can provide accessible and affordable payment solutions that add value and sustainability to their business," says Paul Kent, MD of Sureswipe, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) has welcomed the news that South Africa has been ranked yet again as the world’s number one for auditing and reporting standards, making it the seventh consecutive year that the country holds this position. As the audit regulator, the IRBA is the statutory body falling within the National Treasury mandated with the protection of the investing public through effective regulation of auditors to ensure high quality independent audits in which investors can place their trust.

With well 30,000 people voting and an elite panel of 40 judges helping to determine the eventual winners, the African FinTech Awards 2016 (#AFTA16) are shaping up to be a “mind-blowing success”, to quote the man behind the awards, Alex van Groningen.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: High Performance Finance, a programme on 14 October, moderated by Chris Ellis of Vickers & Peters.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Careers on the couch, a two-day programme about building an exciting career in finance.

More sophisticated and data-driven processes within business operations come with increased online activity and agility on the part of employees, though consideration must be given to the fact that with this increased online activity is increased potential risk to the business –particularly the growing occurrence of technology-enabled fraud, cautions KPMG’s Shirley Ivason-Wagener, Partner and Country Leader, Fraud Risk Management and Ethics Advisory. There’s no denying that we live in a fast-paced digital era that is underpinned by this consumerism sense of instant gratification. As a result, companies are continually transforming their technology-driven business processes to maximise on efficiencies, as well as integrating different processes and systems and even enabling inter-company and global connectivity – aimed at remaining competitive. Today, technology is a significant enabler for fraudsters, where tech-savvy swindlers are using it in a variety of ways to perpetrate frauds. Cyber fraud continues to be identified as a growing threat to business.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: Finance for Africa, a two-day programme moderated by Didi Sehume, Treasury and Securities Services associate at JP Morgan.

Are you looking for a great job in a fast growing international company? You have found it. This is an awesome chance for young and talented computer savvy social media and marketing fundi. A great challenge for an enthusiastic professional that wants to make a real contribution to the company - CFO South Africa - and to the country.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: the Future of Finance, a two-day programme moderated by corporate trainer Dave Stevens.

"Kronos WM applications are crucial in enabling greater visibility into labour activities for the purposes of effectively managing and maximizing worker productivity, controlling labour costs, tracking operational tasks and minimizing compliance risks," says Yolanda Krajnc, Sales Manager of Bytes Systems Integration, a gold partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The Finance Indaba Africa 2016 is almost upon us and it is time to start looking at what exactly lies ahead at the Sandton Convention Centre on 13 and 14 October 2016. Every day until the event, we will shine a light on the parts of the amazing programme. Today: the spectacular opening sessions and award ceremonies.

Earlier this month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) made the landmark decision to appoint black-owned firm Nkonki as auditor for the organisation and all its members. For many years, CSA was audited by Deloitte and the clubs each had their own auditors. The man tasked with overseeing the job is Nkonki partner Zakhele Nkosi. We asked him what it is like to be the lead engagement partner for such a historic institution.

“We have been blown away by the number of partners and visitors the Finance Indaba Africa is attracting in its very first year,” says Alex van Groningen, the Dutch entrepreneur behind the successful knowledge sharing event on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Charl Keyter was first introduced to mining as a child, when he used to visit the Gold Fields operations with his dad’s cousin. He was fascinated. “The atmosphere on the mines in those days was almost holiday-like,” he recalls. “Maybe because we only ever spent a day or a week there, every so often, but the facilities and the people living in the community, the activities they did with the kids, there was always this great atmosphere.”

"We have deep insights into the industry, including regulatory and governance issues, which makes the recruitment process much smoother and more professional, both from a candidate and a client perspective," says Georgina Barrick, MD of Cassel & Co, a silver partner at the Finance Indaba Africa 2016 on 13 and 14 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.