JOHANNESBURG - Just like the Michael Jordaan-backed mobile data network 'Rain', there are more startups beginning to emerge in South Africa that are taking sledgehammers to traditional industries. One of those startups is a local fintech called 'Naked' which is taking digital customisation and personalisation in the car insurance industry to new heights. Among the options that Naked offers its customers include the ability to pause their car insurance if they go on holiday or start taking the train to work. Naked's claim to fame is that it has also become the first insurer in the country to relinquish underwriting profits. Instead, the company collects a fixed 20% of premium income to cover its costs. Naked is interestingly headed up by an actuary and former partner in EY’s insurance advisory business, Alex Thomson, who speaks to me in this interview about his latest venture. - Gareth van Zyl

Biznews: News in 90 Seconds

Disrupting SA car insurance, local fintech 'Naked' seeks peeling away costs

JOHANNESBURG — The latest available South African private equity performance report, compiled by SAVCA and RisCura, showed that a representative sample of SA’s private equity funds delivered a 10-year internal rate of return of 12.9% at the end of September 2017, which beat both the FTSE/JSE All Share Total Return Index (compound annual growth rate of 9.5%) and the FTSE/JSE Shareholder Weighted Total Return Index (10.6%). It also outperformed these indices over five-year and three-year periods. RMB Corvest plays in this space and is an on-balance sheet provider of PE. Biznews founder Alec Hogg chats to Mike Donaldson, a director of RMB Corvest, discussing the group’s more recent transactions, and how the playing field has improved since Cyril Ramaphosa came into power. - Stuart Lowman

Southern Africa’s PE landscape: In conversation with Mike Donaldson

LONDON — In this special podcast, RMB Investment Banking Director Ferdi Vorster tells us about the project which simplified a complex structure for the Distell Group to position it for a new growth path. The Distell Group, created in 2000 by a merger of Stellenbosch Farmers Wineries and the Rupert Group’s Distiller Corporation, has been hamstrung by a highly complex ownership structure. Here’s the story of how that Gordian knot was addressed.- Alec Hogg

Inside story of a four-year project which readied Distell for a likely growth catapult

JOHANNESBURG — Ronnie Apteker is well known as an internet pioneer and co-founder of Internet Solutions (IS) in South Africa. But he has also made a name for himself in the creative arts. And, in fact, he was one of the producers of a South African film dubbed 'Catching Feelings', which has recently become the country's first local film to be streamed on Netflix. It's a great movie that has been described as the Johannesburg version of a 'Woody Allen' RomCom that portrays the iconic South African city in a fresh light with eye-catching cinematography. In this interview, Apteker tells us more about the film as well as his involvement with a South African cybersecurity startup, Thinkst, that is making global waves. - Gareth van Zyl

Ronnie Apteker on Netflix streaming SA's 'Catching Feelings', investing in Honey Pot tech

JOHANNESBURG — It was almost exactly a year ago to the date that I interviewed former FNB CEO and now investor Michael Jordaan about a venture he backed dubbed 'Rain'. At the time, the idea of Rain appealed to many of our readers as Jordaan promised a data-only mobile network and disruption to the local market. A year later and Rain has launched with an attractive and simple no-contract offering that lets you use data when you need it without having to commit to bundles that expire. The man who's heading up Rain is actuary Willem Roos, who is interestingly the founder and former CEO of OUTsurance. And it is probably this type of outsider's perspective and experience that will assist him well in completely shaking up the local telecoms market while giving South Africans another competitive mobile data alternative. Take a listen to this fascinating interview with Roos on the launch of Rain. - Gareth van Zyl

Taking a sledgehammer to data bundles: Rain CEO Willem Roos on SA's newest disruptor

JOHANNESBURG — South African Energy Minister Jeff Radebe recently signed agreements with 27 independent power producers after more than two years of delays. The deals promise to revive the nation’s renewable-energy program that was once the world’s fastest growing, but has floundered amid the delays. The projects being signed will release R56 billion of investments over the next two to three years. Roggeveld, a 140 megawatt wind farm project recently reached financial close under the fourth round of this programme. Biznews’s Alec Hogg caught up with RMB’s Mphokolo Makara to get inside this R4.4bn deal. - Stuart Lowman

A blowout in the Karoo: Inside the R4.4bn, 140MW wind farm project in Roggeveld

JOHANNESBURG — South African FinTech 'InvestSure' has partnered with local fractional share trading pioneers, EasyEquities, to offer investors and traders on the JSE the opportunity to mitigate their risk. The local team at InvestSure has developed a world-first insurance product which protects buyers of shares from management teams that mislead and deceive shareholders. So, if you invest in another Steinhoff and the share price tanks over 10% because of bad behaviour at the top, you then have the right to claim if you are an InvestSure user. This offering is now also plugged into EasyEquities and is a quick and paperless process. Take a listen to my interview with the team from InvestSure and EasyEquities to find out why they developed this product. - Gareth van Zyl

How world-first InvestSure helps protect you against another Steinhoff

JOHANNESBURG — Internet search giant Google is hoping to make a difference in people's lives in Africa by launching its 'Impact Challenge' for the first time on the continent in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. The company is looking to give away a total of $2m divided among several non-profits. Other Google Impact Challenges around the world have resulted in innovations such as smart cameras for wildlife conservation, solar lights for off-grid communities and a mobile application that helps to protect women from domestic violence. In this interview, Google South Africa’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Mich Atagana, reveals what the motivation behind the challenge is and how it can benefit Africa. - Gareth van Zyl

Google kicks off Africa's first 'Impact Challenge' with $2m earmarked for non-profits

JOHANNESBURG — When it comes to a South African rand that has traditionally been volatile, knowing when it's best to make an international transaction could become key to your business's bottom-line. In this interview, Sable International's James Edward explains how best to navigate forex waters and what local businesses need to bear in mind when moving money across the globe. - Gareth van Zyl

How SA businesses can use forex providers to boost their global effectiveness

JOHANNESBURG — With a background in sales and marketing, and after having made connections with several actuaries over the years, Cape Town-based Adi Kaimowitz had an idea to improve the industry. He saw a gap in the market to offer companies more competitive pricing regarding actuarial services while also enabling actuaries to go on their own and earn more as independent consultants. Subsequently, Virtual Actuary as a business was born, becoming an 'Uber' for actuaries but, as Kaimowitz explains, even better in terms of its operating model. Kaimowitz lives his philosophy by running his business from home. Here then is a fascinating interview with Kaimowitz on why he started Virtual Actuary. - Gareth van Zyl

Shaking up the actuarial industry: Backstory of Adi Kaimowitz's 'Virtual Actuary'

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