Business Day Spotlight

Side hustles and creating multiple streams of income are the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Janine Horn, a financial adviser at Momentum.

Topics of discussion include: the growth of side-hustles around the world; factors driving the need for multiple sources of income; current state of the economy for ordinary South Africans; tools for succeeding in multiple careers; and some of the differences between a small business and a side-hustle.

Improving the current bond market using blockchain technology is the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Ian Putter, Standard Bank's group head for its Blockchain Centre of Excellence.

Topics of discussion include: the work being done by the bank’s Blockchain Centre of Excellence; current structure of the bond market; ways in which Blockchain technology can be used to improve the bond market; how public distributed ledger technologies can overcome the challenges faced by bond marketplace participants; importance of creating a decentralised economy; considerations when choosing a public distributed ledger; and the global trend towards decentralised systems of finance.

The drop in short-term credit extension is the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Johan Gellatly, MD of Altron Fintech, together with Keith Lockwood, an independent economic consultant and faculty member at business school GIBS.

Topics of discussion include: how the Afsci index was created; Altron’s reasons for creating an index; key findings from the first index results; ways in which the data can be applied in business and economics; the importance of micro lending in SA; and a comparison of Altron’s other index released back in August.

Mandatory vaccination and its economic implications are the focus on this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Prof Keymanthri Moodley, director at The Centre for Medical Ethics & Law at Stellenbosch University.

Topics of discussion include: the prevalence of vaccine mandates for diseases other than Covid-19; issues driving current vaccination hesitancy around the world; vaccinations as a tool for economic recovery; strategies for implementing vaccination drives; and the rate at which different private and public sector organizations are working to develop such policies.

Sustainability in the world of investments and capital allocation is the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Katherine Davidson, portfolio manager for the Schroders ISF Sustainable Growth fund, from London.

Topics of discussion include: the size and scope of the Schroders Sustainable Growth fund; how investors can review alpha opportunities; identifying sustainable companies and the need for a proprietary approach for investors; sustainability considerations for investors; and an outlook of factors likely to drive sustainability in future.

Wills and estate planning are the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight podcast.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Zale Hechter, CEO of Cliqtech, a firm that operates estate planning platform, SmartWill.

Topics of discussion include: the rationale behind National Wills Week; SmartWill’s business model; the state of wills in SA; reasons why South Africans generally don’t have wills in place; the cost of administering an estate; and how technology is being used in the industry.

Pick n Pay and its growing investment in retail online channels for its clothing division are in focus for this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Hazel Pillay, general manager of Pick n Pay Clothing.

Topics of discussion include: the size of Pick n Pay Clothing’s operation; their company’s new partnership with Zando; Pick n Pay Clothing’s online efforts; the place of physical retail in an environment of growing online sales; trends seen in the retail sector during the Covid-19 pandemic; and an outlook for the sector going forward.

We review this week’s Bitcoin market crash - its causes, implications and outlook - in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Marius Reitz, GM for Africa at crytocurrency exchange Luno.

Topics of discussion include: the recent Bitcoin market crash and what it means for investors; El Salvador’s rollout of Bitcoin as legal tender; the growth of cryptocurrencies during the pandemic; an update of how SA regulators view cryptocurrencies; and an outlook for the sector. v

Unemployment and GDP growth prospects are the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by interview with Thanda Sithole, a senior economist at FNB.

Topics of discussion include: GDP growth through 2021; what has been driving the economy; sectors that are yet to recover; the recent change in GDP calculations by Stats SA - what does it mean; and the current state of employment in SA.

In this edition of the Business Day Spotlight, we talk about the progress, and lack thereof, of women led businesses in SA.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Nontando Mthethwa, head of public affairs and communications at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation.

Topics of discussion include: the work of the foundation; has any progress been made in getting more women into entrepreneurship in SA; statistics around the the rate of female business owners in SA; contribution of women to the formal and informal economy; challenges faced by this group of people; and ways that such hurdles can be overcome.