Ukheshe Technologies and Infobip have recently developed South Africa's very first WhatsApp payment gateway for use by Telkom.

In addition to being South Africa’s first digital wallet platform, the solution is also the first WhatsApp channel to enable payments using QR.

The project and collaboration with Infobip form part of Ukheshe’s objective of expanding its international reach as a solution-driven B2B provider of digital-first payment solutions that enable banks, telcos and fintechs to provide banking and payment services to their customers through a solution called ‘chat banking’.

Infobip’s deployment of a WhatsApp Business API solution leveraged by Ukheshe’s cutting-edge Eclipse API integration is a first of its kind. The solution allows mobile operator customers to send money to anyone with a mobile number quickly and securely with no need for another app or any additional software.
Through an extended partnership with Mastercard and Nedbank, Ukheshe Technologies has launched its Third-Party Processing Services (TPP) in South Africa...
Clayton Hayward, co-founder and CEO of Ukheshe, said developing South Africa’s first WhatsApp payment gateway was an exciting opportunity to provide a relevant and workable payment solution.

“We are thrilled that through various working associations we are able to assist organisations to address financial literacy and inclusion. The chat banking solution empowers end customers by giving them access to the internet, and an efficient and secure digital wallet, while meeting Know your Customer (KYC) requirements."

The digital wallet will also be able to link to other cards, add virtual cards, pay or get paid with a QR code, send money, make cash withdrawals or pay for goods.” He added that the service offering of the digital wallet platform will be extended to accommodate the issuing of virtual cards, which coupled with chat banking, underpins Ukheshe’s drive to support digital-first e-commerce adoption.
Easing the lives of customers and access to effortless banking
Shaun Van Rooyen, strategic accounts and partnerships manager at Infobip South Africa, says that the partnership between Infobip and Ukheshe is underpinned by the current need for organisations to find innovative means to make their customers lives easier whilst also providing the masses with access to effortless banking.

“It has been a great pleasure to work with Ukheshe on this project. The initiative and wonderful partnership align with our goal of connecting the world. The project is something that we are proud of and want to keep working on to see how we can help Ukheshe do more,” said Van Rooyen.

Hayward said Ukheshe’s digital-first enablement platform has expanded and evolved significantly in recent months as the financial services market seeks innovative solution providers that can address the fundamental gaps faced by people that are seen as unbanked.

“Working with Infobip has been particularly exciting as we have developed an easy and cost-effective way to send and receive money using an app that is already on customers’ phones. Chat banking is a solution that will add immense value to people’s lives.”

www.samigration.com

Bangladeshi nationals who are stranded in India will be able to return home on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday of every week. 

To curb the spread of coronavirus the Ministry of Home Affairs had previously shut off the land borders for travellers between the neighbouring countries. 

Media reports quoted immigration Officer-in-Charge Ahsan Habib saying that the ministry concerned had sent a notice in this regard to the Benapole office on Saturday. 

On June 30, the Bangladesh Government had extended the restriction on land ports with India till July 14. No one would be allowed to travel to and from India using the land ports.

Only those stranded in India, who qualify and are willing to return to Bangladesh had to obtain no objection certificates to cross the borders on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays by 2:30pm (Indian time), said the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agrtala on June 30.

South Africans are enjoying a level of success that is nothing short of remarkable in gaining permanent residency in Canada under the Start-Up Visa program.

An amazing 90 per cent of South African applicants to Canada’s Start-Up Visa program are accepted, far in excess of the average overall acceptance rate of 38 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

That success rate puts South Africa at the top of the list of countries whose applicants are accepted under this program. 

Canada remains deeply committed to its relationships with African countries, both for humanitarian and economic reasons.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured the continent last year. During that trip, Trudeau strengthened Canada’s partnerships with countries across Africa and committed to creating economic growth, increasing trade and investment, promoting democracy, advancing gender equality, and fighting climate change.

Canada Wants To Foster Strong Ties With African Countries

“Canada and African countries will continue to work together to find solutions to the global challenges of today and prepare for the ones of tomorrow,” said the prime minister in May. 

“We cannot defeat COVID-19 unless all countries have the resources to respond to, and recover from, this crisis. The Government of Canada will keep working with international partners to support an equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, and a strong global economic recovery that benefits everyone, including by recognizing the specific needs of African countries.”

The positive working relationship between Canada and South Africa was further exemplified earlier this year when Mitacs, the Canadian non-profit designed to promote research and training programs, struck a formal partnership with South Africa’s National Research Foundation.

With that partnership, the NRF effectively launched its Industry Partnership Strategy which aims to develop highly-qualified personnel through collaborative training opportunities with industry, joint research, and collaborative networks with other countries.

The program is the first of its kind in South Africa with a combined investment of $1.26 million over three years.

Mitacs and South Africa’s National Research Foundation Ink Deal

“I am delighted to launch this first agreement between Mitacs and the National Research Foundation,” said Dr. John Hepburn, Mitacs CEO and scientific director, in mid-May.

“We are proud to support the innovation ecosystem by offering a significant opportunity to PhD students and postdoctoral fellows for global mobility between Canada and South Africa,” he said. “The connections established through this partnership will advance outcomes for both countries, while providing new opportunities for researchers.”

That innovative thinking and entrepreneurial bent is one of the reasons why South African entrepreneurs who apply to Canada’s Start-Up Visa program do so well.

Under the Start-Up Visa program, immigrants can get permanent residency in Canada, provided their business idea is approved.

Angel Investors, Venture Capital Funds and Business Incubators Help Entrepreneurs 

The program requires that these budding entrepreneurs gain the support of one of three types of private-sector investors: angel investors, venture capital funds, or business incubators. A designated venture capital fund must confirm that it is investing at least $200,000 into the qualifying business.

Candidates can also qualify with two or more commitments from designated venture capital funds totalling $200,000. 

A designated angel investor group must invest at least $75,000 into the qualifying business – or candidates can qualify with two or more investments from angel investor groups totalling $75,000. 

A designated business incubator must accept the applicant into its business incubator program. It is up to the immigrant investor to develop a viable business plan that will meet the due diligence requirements of these government-approved designated entities.

That’s usually done with the help of business consultants in Canada’s start-up ecosystem with oversight from experienced corporate business immigration lawyers who can ensure a start-up’s business concept meets all industry-required terms and conditions.

Candidates applying under the Start-Up Visa program can initially come to Canada on a work permit supported by their designated Canadian investor before their application for permanent residence is finalized.

Ottawa Does Not Provide Financial Assistance to Start-Up Visa Applicants

The basic government-imposed candidate eligibility requirements for the Start-Up Visa program are:

• a qualifying business;
• a commitment certificate and letter of support from a designated entity;
• sufficient unencumbered, available and transferable settlement funds to meet settlement funding, and;
• proficiency in English or French at the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark level 5.  However, it frequently occurs that higher levels of English are needed to meet due diligence requirements imposed by designated entities

Ottawa does not give financial support to new Start-Up Visa immigrants. When candidates apply, they need to show evidence they have the finances to support themselves and their dependents in Canada. This money cannot be borrowed.

Additionally, it often occurs that candidates will need to show additional, sufficient funding to meet start-up costs of their business project, as a condition of investment by a designated entity (VC or Angel).

This is an area where experienced legal consulting will prove invaluable. The amount of settlement funding needed depends on the size of the candidate’s family.

Certainly, the Start-Up Visa program is growing in popularity. In 2019, the total number of new permanent resident approved admissions reached 510, more than double the 250 welcomed in 2018. The figures had been increasing steadily over the last five years until the pandemic slowed immigration to Canada to a trickle.

International Students Can Get Fast Permanent Residency Through Start-Up Visa

The Start-Up Visa program also represents an important option for international students, many of whom do not qualify for permanent residence through the skilled worker immigration streams. While Ottawa has taken steps to gear up the Express Entry system to favour international students, they are by no means guaranteed to qualify for a coveted Invitation to Apply under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

The minimum score needed to qualify has often been over 470, leaving many students unable to qualify even with the support of a job offer from a Canadian employer. These candidates can either sit in the Express Entry pool and hope the minimum score under the CRS falls or they can make the transition from temporary to permanent residence. This is where the Start-Up Visa program becomes an option.

Unlike almost every other federal and provincial-level entrepreneur program which requires a minimum of one or two years of previous experience either owning a business or in top-level management, the Start-Up Visa program does not require previous management experience.

The support of a government-designated entity is enough. And that support can be either financial or in the form of accepting the candidate into a business incubator program. Immigrants who avail themselves of the Start-Up Visa program consistently report that it is quick, both for the initial work permit and permit residence application.

Start-Up Visa Application Process Usually Under Six Months

With a viable start-up business project, an immigrant entrepreneur can expect it to take about four to six months to secure a commitment certificate or letter of support from a designated entity. Once that letter of support is received, the application for permanent residence can be submitted.

It will then take approximately 18-months to finalize the application through to the issuance of a permanent residence visa.  For the candidate to qualify for permanent residence:

• The intended business must be incorporated and carrying on business in Canada;
• The candidate must own at least 10 per cent of the voting rights in the corporation, and;
• No other person can hold 50 per cent or more of the voting rights in the corporation.

As many as five candidates can have their permanent residence application supported by the same business investment.  But that can come with a risk. Certain candidates may be designated as essential to the business. If any of the essential candidates withdraw their applications or are refused, all other candidates under the same business investment will see their applications terminated.

Surveys suggest Start-Up Visa candidates usually go on to succeed in Canada, in terms of growing their business, attracting further investment, networking or selling their business for a profit.

www.samigration.com

Cybercrime has become prevalent in South Africa, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to research revealed last year, South Africa has the third most cybercrime victims in the world, losing R2.2bn a year.

Password Day is an opportunity to remind people of what constitutes a robust password and how to safely store them. Password protection remains a vital component to protecting yourself against identity theft and is our first opportunity as a defence against potential threats.

Password dos and don’ts:

• Use a different password for every online account.
• Do not reuse a password.
• Passwords must be hard-to-guess.
• Consider using a password manager application by a reputable vendor, this is a solution to providing encrypted passwords to get into each of your online accounts.
• Change your passwords regularly.
• Do not store your passwords on your phone or computer.
• Use long, unique and complex passwords with several different combinations of characters.
• Consider opting for two-factor authentication if the service allows for it, this is in the form of an SMS to your phone providing a one-time password (OTP) as an example.
• Never click on any link that cannot be verified, received via email or social media.
• Avoid emails from unfamiliar senders, especially those that ask you to confirm your details.
• Make sure that your router is password secured.
• Periodically remove temporary internet files.

www.vsoftsystems.co.za

The impact of mobile technology is likely to be even more profound in the future, with 5G – or the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies – expected to have an even greater societal levelling effect than its predecessors, says Dejan Kastelic.

Developing nations have arguably surpassed their developed counterparts in benefitting from the rapid deployment of mobile technology. With the challenges of deploying fixed infrastructure (especially in rural and remote areas) and a shortage of ICT resources, mobile technology is the primary, and often only, platform to access the internet in developing countries, accounting for 87% of broadband connections in these regions.

The impact of mobile technology is likely to be even more profound in the future, with 5G – or the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies – expected to have an even greater societal levelling effect than its predecessors.

Through the use of a wider radio spectrum, 5G delivers faster download and upload speeds, decreases latency, or the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks, and enables greater connectivity of devices than existing 4G LTE networks. This will allow for more technological innovation, such as cloud, big data, artificial intelligence and The Internet of Things (IoT), accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Africa. It will facilitate digital inclusion, with the potential to change and improve human lives not only on the continent but across the world.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), "5G will change the world even more profoundly than 3G and 4G; that it will be as revolutionary as electricity or the automobile, benefitting entire economies and entire societies".

The WEF states that 5G will contribute to industrial advances in three significant ways: by enabling faster and more efficient manufacturing through predictive intelligence; by improving workplace and worker safety; and enhancing operational effectiveness in industries.

In agriculture, for example, 5G enables the IoT to assist in monitoring the health of crops and livestock, preventing economic losses for farmers. Using fibre-like speeds on mobile spectrum, 5G provides greater access to the socioeconomic benefits of broadband connectivity.

A World Bank study has shown that a 10% increase in broadband penetration results in a 1% rise in GDP in developing countries. Notably for South Africa, an increase in broadband penetration is closely linked with job creation, improved education, better service delivery and increased rural development.

Do we know the true potential for economic value?

The capabilities and potential benefits that 5G would bring to consumers and businesses within South Africa are limitless. Much like the introduction of 3G and 4G, many of us did not anticipate the explosion of disruptive business models that originated from mobile broadband such as Uber, Facebook, Airbnb and countless digital businesses that have changed the way we live.

In addition, as the Covid-19 pandemic has already increased the use of digital technology in our everyday lives, from virtual classrooms to the adoption of e-commerce strategies, imagine the possibilities with widespread and affordable access to 5G. We could be seeing self-driving automated cars on the highway, a life-saving surgery in rural KwaZulu-Natal performed through robotic VR by a top surgeon in Johannesburg, and the delivery of the latest smart TV from the factory to the retail outlet to your living room overnight.

Fast, intelligent internet connectivity enabled by 5G technology is expected to create approximately R55 trillion in economic output and 22.3 million jobs by 2035 in the global 5G value chain alone, according to WEF. 5G capabilities will have an impact on every South African industry – education, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and all businesses – large and small.

5G potential for social value

Key areas in which social value is created through 5G include contributing to responsible consumption, enabling sustainable cities and communities, and promoting safe work and economic growth. Smart energy and water supply management systems are two of the critical Industry 4.0 services that will be enhanced by 5G ICT ecosystem technologies. Within the energy sector, utilities and municipalities are turning to smart energy solutions such as revenue and customer management, smart metering and smart grid communications.

What actions are needed?

Generational change in mobile communications does not occur overnight. It requires significant effort in research and development, and the resources necessary to support that effort. Investments in 5G networks will reach R15 trillion worldwide by 2025, according to the GSMA. With connectivity at the heart of industry transformation, 5G technologies have a significant role to play – not just in the evolution of communication but in the transformation of businesses and societies as a whole.

In South Africa, the extension of mobile 5G coverage will be dependent on some spectrum being made available through digital migration and analogue switch-off. To enable a 5G-empowered future, it is essential that private and public sectors work together to realise the socioeconomic value that 5G can deliver – both to South Africa and the African continent.

www.vsoftsystems.co.za