Despite a well-developed chemicals sector, which owes much of its capacity to a historical need for self-sufficiency during the era of South Africa’s political isolation, the country remains a net importer of chemical products. According to data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), South Africa exported R37.8bn ($4.6bn) worth of...
The low cost and relative abundance of South Africa’s coal has assured it a central place in the nation’s economic life; according to the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, in 2012 94% of domestic electricity generation was derived from coal-fired thermal power stations, which consume about 130m tonnes of the 250m tonnes produced annually in...
By year-end 2011, the South African banking sector boasted nearly 2700 branches, 10,000 ATMs and 100,000 point of sales (PoS) terminals, making for more than 10.7 commercial branches and 60 ATMs per 100,000 adults in the country, according to figures from the IMF. Yet a significant gap in access to banking services remains between well-covered...
Just as significant as its role as a gateway to Africa for foreign investors, South Africa is also the source of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows on the continent, as well as further afield in emerging markets globally and increasingly in developed markets. “In recent years foreign investment by South African corporations has been...
While agents and brokers have traditionally formed the key distribution channel for both short- and long-term insurance, a rapid shift in distribution mixes has unsettled traditionally fixed market shares. As newer and smaller direct insurers have gained significant market share in the past six years, in personal motor and property lines...
While financial markets in South Africa are already considered among the best-regulated in the world, the system is about to undergo some significant changes as the country transitions to a “twin peaks” model of oversight. The new framework will split regulation into two distinct areas, prudential and market conduct, the former concerned with...
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