SARB to choose Global Fintech Hackcelerator winner
The South African Reserve Bank will host a Fintech Demo Day on 29 October 2019 to select two winners from 12 innovative and sustainable fintech solutions shortlisted for the Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa.
In August, SARB joined forces with KPMG Matchi to run the 2019 Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa, an acceleration programme that creates a platform for fintech firms to demonstrate their innovative solutions to complex financial challenges in the Southern African region. Fintech firms from all over the world were invited to submit an application in response to problem statements constructed in collaboration with SARB.
The regional hackcelerator received 95 entries from interested fintech firms located across the globe. The 12 shortlisted respondents will showcase their solutions at the Fintech Demo Day at the end of this month in Johannesburg.
Each Global Fintech Hackcelerator @ Southern Africa 2019 winner will receive the following:
- A stipend towards travel expenses to attend the 2019 Singapore Fintech Festival
- An opportunity to pitch their solution live during the Hackcelerator Demo Day at the 2019 Singapore Fintech Festival and engage with industry experts
- Funding to develop a contextualised proof of concept, to be deployed within a year from the demo day
- An opportunity to work with high-value corporates to contextualise a solution to their needs, while obtaining market entry into the Singapore and Asia-Pacific region.
The top three winners at the Singapore Fintech Festival will each receive a cash prize.
For more information on the Global Fintech Hackcelerator click here.
Click here to read about a Fortnite exclusive for Samsung Galaxy Note 10 users, and Standard Bank’s new way of identifying its customers.
Fortnite skin for Samsung Galaxy Note 10 users
After the launch of the Galaxy Note10, Samsung is continuing its partnership with Fortnite developer Epic Games, releasing an exclusive in-game Glow skin available for almost all Galaxy devices. The design of the Glow skin is derived from the Galaxy Note10’s Aura Glow colour, inspired by the reflective light of a prism
Since launching in 2017, the game has become a cultural phenomenon, reaching more than 250 million registered players at the beginning of 2019 and generating over $2-billion worldwide across all platforms. The partnership provides Samsung with store exclusivity, with the Android version of the game only available through the Galaxy Store and Epic Games website.
Platform: Samsung Devices running the latest Android iOS
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Download the skin here
Standard Bank partners with iiDENTIFii
Standard Bank has partnered with iiDENTIFii, a Cape Town-based technology company that enables remote biometric digital authentication and automated on-boarding.
By using the iiDENTIFii solution across the bank’s existing product and service offerings, Standard Bank says, it is shifting to branchless banking and meeting customers’ demands for simple, secure and friction-free banking.
This technology also allows all consumers, irrespective of demography or location, to enjoy the benefits of banking services that, for some, were previously unattainable. Now, through digital banking, it puts the customer on a more equitable playing field by allowing them access to these services.
Standard Bank also recently launched its MyMo account, a new low-cost account which rewards customers with free mobile data on registration. With the iiDENTIFii solution embedded, customers can open this account via their mobile phones without having to go into a branch.
Using a mobile phone and an official identity document, the iiDENTIFii technology platform does four critical things:
- It proves that the person is alive, therefore enabling strong authentication and far outperforming gesture-based and parallax technologies
- It matches the selfie the user has taken with the image on their ID document
- The data is extracted off the identity document – including the person’s name, surname and ID number
- All the data is then matched with a facial biometric at an issuing authority or government department (i.e. Home Affairs).
To find out more about iiDENTIFii, click here.
Click here to read about the app that connects waste to waste removers, and Zulzi’s entrance into Pretoria for grocery delivery.
WRAPP connects waste and removers
A fast-growing app-based service, working off the grid from a used shipping container, is offering convenience and simplicity to businesses and professionals who need waste removed from worksites. WRAPP (Waste Recycling App) is a South African-born app, bringing together independent truck owners and the customers who need waste removed.
For business owners, project managers, site managers and other professionals, WRAPP is ciamed to make ordering and tracking as easy as familiar app-based taxi and food delivery services.
WRAPP allows a customer to choose the waste type, truck type and pick-up time for loads from 1.3 to 12 tons, with quotes in 60 seconds. Payment happens after delivery, either via a credit card payment or by EFT. With live tracking and notifications, there’s no need to follow up on the status of the order with calls or texts. The cloud-based dashboard gives managers access to a full audit trail with time stamps of every load’s life cycle, from removal to recycling or disposal. It also features useful graphic breakdowns of the data.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: Signup is free but the waste removal costs depend on type and weight.
To sign up for the service, click here.
Zulzi expands into Pretoria
Consumers can shop for all their groceries online with the Zulzi app, and get fresh local produce, organics, meat, dairy, eggs, drinks, snacks, bulk items, diapers, snacks and fresh flowers delivered.
Zulzi claims it is the largest on-demand grocery delivery service in the country. It promises that uses will receive orders in Johannesburg and Cape Town – and now Pretoria – within an hour of placing an order.
The online store is able to deliver millions of items from over 150 stores around South Africa, including top retailers like Woolworths, Spar, Pick n Pay, Dis-chem and Clicks.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Visit Zulzi here for installation instructions.