Talk Cents
Fintech/banking analyst writing on payments, banking M&A, digital banking strategy, and regulation (e.g., South Africa, Capitec/Walletdoc).
Compound Interest Lets Your Earnings Grow on Themselves
Simple interest earns a flat percentage on your original deposit. $1,000 at 10% pays $100 a year, every year, unchanged. However, Compound interest earns that same 10% on your new balance each year, so your interest starts earning its own interest.
Free Cash Earns Interest, but 1.5% Fee Erodes Returns
𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗛 That's any uninvested Rand sitting in your ZAR or TFSA account. It accrues daily and gets credited on the first business day of the following month. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝘀 (𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 -𝟯.𝟱%). They...
Fire Hits One of Australia's Last Two Refineries
A fire has broken out at the Viva Energy refinery in Australia, It is one of two refineries remaining in the country. What a coincidence. 🤔
South Africa Ranks 33rd in $219 Trillion Global Market
The global economy has a $219.2 trillion market. 🇿🇦 South Africa accounts for $1.1 Trillion (GDP PPP), that would place it around 33rd if we ranked 100 of the top countries.
Check Levy, Reserve Fund, and Financials Before Buying
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 ✅𝗟𝗲𝘃𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁, to confirm what the levy covers and whether the amount is realistic, not artificially lowered to attract buyers. ✅𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, to ensure the scheme holds adequate cash reserves to handle unexpected...
Sectional Titles Face Higher SASRIA Rates, Becoming Riskier Investments
Sectional titles are in for a rude awakening in South Africa, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘃𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. “Due to the unprecedented unrest event of July 2021, SASRIA initiated a rate increase across its product lines in 2022” However,...
South Africa Diesel Prices Set to Jump R12/L
Get your medication, boys and girls. In South Africa, early projections (as of early April) suggest that diesel could rise by roughly R12+ per litre in May. This is partly due to the under-recovery + the expiry of the temporary...
South African Rand Begins Mean-Reversion, Trading Near R16.4
The South African Rand is in the process of mean reverting now, i.e. the last few years it has been pulling back (‘strengthening’) from recent lows of around R19.90 region. It hit a cycle high of around R15.68 (Jan, 26)...
Shock‑Driven Episodes Trigger Major RANd Capital Shifts
What Lesetja Kganyago describes here as the structural mechanism, '𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲'. That part is always true, it is textbook stuff. But every...
Rand as Shock Absorber: Trade Opportunities Revealed
South Africa operates a floating exchange rate. That simply means the Rand's value is determined by supply and demand in global markets. 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 "𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗿". What Lesetja Kganyago is really telling you is...
South Africa’s Inflation Plummets, SARB Swings Rates Aggressively
South Africa's inflation peaked at around 7.8% in mid 2022 and fell to a cycle low of around 2.7% in March 2025. The SARB responded with one of its most aggressive hiking cycles in recent history, taking the repo rate...
South Africa's Tax Receipts Outpace GDP Growth
Hold on guys, do the math here: For the full year 2025, South Africa's real GDP growth rate was 1.1%. The nominal GDP grew by around 4%, reaching a total value of +-R7.6 trillion But, PAYE collections grew R59.9 billion more than the...
Oil Prices Fuel Inflation Yet Trigger Recessionary Pullback
𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 The reporter, David Lin, asks his guest "𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 (𝗙𝗲𝗱) 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲? His guest, Jeff Christian, Managing Partner of CPM Group states that "oil cuts both ways in terms...
NASA's Nighttime Earth Reveal Shows Global City Lights
NASA released footage of Earth. This is Earth photographed at night time for the respective countries/ cities facing us.
South African Earnings Rise Steadily with Age
𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 🇿🇦 Here is the median monthly amount of how much each age group earns in South Africa: 👤15-24 years = 𝗥𝟰,𝟱𝟬𝟬 🟠 24 -34 years = 𝗥𝟱,𝟲𝟬𝟬 🔘 35-44 years= 𝗥𝟲,𝟱𝟬𝟬 🟡 45-54 years = 𝗥𝟲,𝟵𝟯𝟯 🔵 55-64 years = 𝗥𝟳,𝟯𝟲𝟳