The Monocle Banking Podcast

With the world's eyes on COP29, Michael Avery sat down with Andrew Gilder, Director of Climate Legal, to unpack the intricacies of the ongoing climate summit. They explored the realistic expectations for this year's conference, the complexities of Article 6, and the potential global impact of a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under Trump's presidency.

To understand how Capitec is reshaping the financial landscape for South African entrepreneurs, Michael Avery sat down with Karl Kumbier, Executive of Business Banking at Capitec. Karl highlighted how Capitec is transforming business banking through its focus on simplicity, affordability, and its unique, fintech-like approach to providing integrated financial services to untapped emerging markets.

AI adoption in Africa is crucial, and with it comes the importance of establishing a unique African AI identity. Dr. Mark Nasila, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at FNB Risk and acclaimed author of African Artificial Intelligence, joined Michael Avery to share his expertise on this topic. They explored the current state of AI, especially in South Africa, the key industries it’s reshaping, as well...

To shed light on the entrepreneurial opportunities that emerge from the shadows of industry giants, Michael Avery was joined by TJ Strydom, author of Capitec: Stalking Giants. Together, they explore how Capitec, a small start-up from Stellenbosch, has transformed into one of South Africa's most remarkable success stories. TJ shared his perspectives on Capitec’s innovative strategies, commitment to...

To explore the future of infrastructure investment in South Africa, Michael Avery sat down with two industry leaders: Prudence Mogolola, Investment Officer at the IDC, and Ashley Daswa, Senior Investment Specialist at Sanlam Corporate Investments. They examined the gaps and opportunities associated with accelerating infrastructure development, the significance of impact investing, and the vital co...

Having recently expanded Monocle Tech, Mark Beringer, our Head of Technology at Monocle, sat down with Michael Avery to discuss this exciting new venture. Mark shared insights into the latest trends and emerging gaps that are reshaping how banks operate and innovate their products and services. He also explored the current data landscape and the digital maturity of banks in South Africa, as well a...

Michael Avery sat down with Dr Eric Levenstein, Director and Head of the Insolvency, Business Rescue & Restructuring Department at Werksmans Attorneys, where they explored the successes and challenges of Business Rescue in South Africa. Eric shared his expertise on the current attitudes of financial institutions towards Business Rescue, the ethical and legal complexities and the importance of...

Head of Project & Export Finance at Standard Bank CIB, Asanda Tsotsi, joined Michael Avery this week to explore the critical challenges and opportunities in infrastructure development across Africa, including South Africa. Asanda sheds light on the pressing issue of underutilised private and government capital for infrastructure projects due to bankability concerns, and what makes a project ba...

In this thought-provoking episode, Michael Avery welcomes Monocle CEO David Buckham to discuss his soon-to-be-released book, Orthogonal Thinking. David takes us on a philosophical journey through his personal explorations of mathematics, literature and life, describing how these have inspired his way of thinking about the world and finding meaning in it.   Discover how concepts that seem orthogona...

Following the recent release of the South African Reserve Bank’s Payment Study Report, Tim Masela, Head of the National Payment System at the SARB, joined Michael Avery to discuss their role in promoting financial inclusion in SA. Tim offered valuable insights into the key components for modernising South Africa's payment ecosystem, the advancements made thus far, and the obstacles that remain. He...

What can other global success stories tell us about how Africa could unlock it's potential? Join Michael Avery for an insightful exploration of the 2023 Africa Export Competitiveness Report with Dr. Amit Kapoor, the Research Lead and Honorary Chairman of the Institute for Competitiveness in India, and Tiekie Barnard, CEO and Founder of Shift Impact Africa. Discover where Africa's future economic g...

Mergers and Acquisitions in South Africa are experiencing positive momentum, fuelled by a newfound optimism within the country. To unpack this, Michael Avery was joined by Ruven Naidoo, Head of M&A, and Marc Ackermann, Head of Corporate Finance and Co-Head of SA Investment Banking at Investec. They discussed how recent local political and economic developments - from loadshedding and the forma...

In this episode, Michael Avery sat down with Sergio Barbosa, Co-founder of Global Kinetic and CEO of FutureBank. Together, they explored the challenges posed by legacy IT systems in banks and potential strategies to modernise these systems. Sergio shares insights for transitioning to more efficient and scalable technologies, the crucial role of regulatory frameworks in fostering FinTech integratio...

In this episode, Michael Avery sat down with Samantha Singh-Jami, Africa Strategist at RMB, to unpack their industry-renowned annual report, Where to Invest in Africa 2024, co-developed with GIBS. Utilising findings from the report, Sam shared some of the key insights into what is driving success in certain countries and the lead indicators she believes will drive future success. Sam also shared h...

This week, Michael Avery sat down with two industry innovators: Joshua Kaiser, CEO of Tovie AI, and Goh Hirose, Head of Digital Acceleration at BNP Paribas Cardif. Together, they share their unique journeys into the world of AI and how their diverse backgrounds have shaped their approach. Our guests further delved into the practical applications of AI, ethical considerations, emerging trends, and...

To unravel the intricacies of building a digitally transformed insurance offering, Michael Avery sat down with Christo Davel, Head of Client Enablement at Nedbank Insurance, to speak about his firsthand experience. They delved into Nedbank Insurance's digitisation journey, exploring their key digital initiatives and the impact on customer experience and operational efficiency. Christo also shared...

In this episode, Michael Avery is joined by Dr Michael Power, former Global Strategist at Ninety One, where they discuss the complex web of challenges facing the global world order right now. From geopolitical tensions to a confluence of potential financial crises, they explore the fault lines emerging in the global economy. Dr Power also shares what he envisions a new multi-polar financial world...

South Africa's fight to exit the FATF grey list continues. In this episode, Michael Avery sat down with Christopher Malan, Executive Manager of Compliance & Prevention at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIC). Together, they unpacked the critical role of the FIC in detecting and preventing money laundering, terrorist financing, and corruption. The discussion delved into the progress South Afri...

Operation Vulindlela has been one of the shining lights in South Africa’s reform goals and a crucial part of why we have gone 100 days without loadshedding. To find out more about the impact of the initiative, Michael Avery met up with Rudi Dicks, Head of Project Management in the Office of the Presidency. Rudi shares the objectives and recent achievements of Operation Vulindlela, how the formatio...

Claude de Baissac, Founder and CEO at Eunomix, has consistently raised the red flag on South Africa’s economic and political standing. To understand whether he sees the Government of National Unity as an opportunity or hindrance to delivering the required reforms, Michael Avery sat down with Claude to debate the future of our country.

There are very few people in business who have been able to use innovation as a strategic tool to the extent of TymeBank’s Co-Founder and CEO, Coen Jonker. Michael Avery sat down with Coen to better understand his journey to launching Tymebank. Together, they deliberate on how innovation has been a key lever to success and how Coen has been able to instil innovation into his and TymeBank’s ways of...

The recent South African election results took many pundits by surprise. To help talk us through the implications, opportunities, and threats of these results, Michael Avery sat down with Ann Bernstein, Executive Director at the Centre for Development and Enterprise. Ann shares with Michael her insights from her international research on what South Africa needs to do to create growth, jobs and sta...

Economist and CEO of Codera Analytics, Dr. Daan Steenkamp, joins Michael Avery for a deep dive into South Africa's pressing fiscal challenges. Their discussion tackles the nation's economic stagnation, labour market dynamics in response to growth, and the long-term viability of South Africa's energy reforms. Dr. Steenkamp explores not only how policymakers can utilise data more effectively to addr...

Even with how important sustainability is, its financial implications are still dauntingly complex to understand. To help unpack this evolving topic, Michael Avery sat down with Duane Newman, Tax Sustainability Partner at EY. Duane shares his insights into the implications of Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and how the current local and international regulations and expectations...

How should banks be thinking about climate change? That’s what Michael Avery wanted to find out when he sat down with Investec’s Chief Economist, Annabel Bishop. Applying her over 23 years of experience at Investec, Annabel unpacks why banks track and forecast climate change, how they are addressing associated risks, and which risks she believes banks should be responsible for mitigating. She also...