Articles by Isabelle Coetzee
New app uplifts informal traders
Informal traders will have the opportunity to both make and receive payments on their mobile phones, thanks to a collaboration between Mastercard and local fintech start-up, Spazapp.
Should you invest in commercial real estate?
Investing in private property is usually seen as a stable, risk-averse decision that will guarantee constant returns. But nowadays investors are leaning towards commercial real estate instead.
Spam-blocking app to open offices in SA
Truecaller, the popular cellphone app that allows users to block unwanted calls, has announced it will launch its regional headquarters in South Africa. The app currently hosts over 250 million users worldwide, and it enables them to identify, f...
Spreading the risk with investment clubs
Breaking into the investment world can be tricky when you’re still figuring out the difference between equities and derivatives. As a result, some people choose to ban together in an investment club so they can bounce ideas off one anothe...
Pseudo-generics stealing the market
Large pharmaceutical companies, who produce pseudo-generic products following their patent expiring, are preventing true generic products from entering the market. “They create what are known as clones of their own products,” said ...
Highest unemployment rate in over a decade
The South African unemployment rate has reached a 13-year high at 27.7%, said Stats SA in their Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFR) on Tuesday. “Scarier than that, is that 39% of those who are unemployed have never worked, and those betw...
Mini-Budget: Gigaba’s ‘poisoned chalice’
Malusi Gigaba announced a revised economic growth rate of 0.7% for 2017, instead of the initial 1.3%, during his mid-term budget speech on Wednesday. Simon Stockley, who’s the managing director of Catalis Holdings and has a background in ...
Data breach affects millions of South Africans
Last week it was established that the personal information of over 30 million South Africans had been publically available for at least seven months. Troy Hunt, who’s an Australian regional director for Microsoft, received a file from an ...
Which markets performed best over the last decade?
South Africa is a volatile environment, with unexpected cabinet reshuffles, a series of downgrades, and erratic weather changes, ranging from flash floods to droughts – it’s no wonder local investors are eager to safeguard their mo...
Airbnb top among Brics countries
Out of the BRICS countries, South Africa received the largest amount of Airbnb guests from emerging economies, read a recent report. As a result, South African hosts have earned a total of $1.88 million in revenue from Brics-based guests, with w...
Let’s talk about ‘Generation Rent'
Unlike previous generations, millennials are disinterested in the stock market. According to Llewellyn Morkel, founder and CEO of ProsperiProp, millennials are not necessarily looking for safer options, but rather quicker returns.
Plan ahead: Best ways to spend your 13th cheque
If you are one of the few who will still receive a 13th cheque this year, you might be wondering what to do with it. “Though it may be tempting to spend your spare money on gifts, gadgets and treats during the festive season, ...