South African market News

South African Insurer Santam to Pay Virus Relief to Clients with Biz Interruption Cover

South Africa’s largest property and casualty insurer will pay as much as one billion rand ($60 million) in relief to clients with business-interruption cover hit financially by the coronavirus pandemic. Santam Ltd. will begin making relief payments next week, mainly …

S. African Regulator Says Business Interruption Virus Claims Don’t Pose Systemic Risk

South Africa’s Prudential Authority expects that business-interruption claims linked to the Covid-19 pandemic poses little systemic risk to the insurance industry. The regulator is in talks with the country’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority and insurance companies on claims from policyholders …

South Africa Regulator Warns Insurers to Stop Broad Rejection of Virus Claims

A South African regulator warned insurers to stop broadly rejecting claims from businesses seeking to cover losses because of a lockdown to curb the coronavirus. “The Financial Sector Conduct Authority is concerned about the behavior of some insurers who are …

S. African Insurers Are Pushed to Pay COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims

Virus-related claims from just over 500 small South African firms battling insurers who have rejected them are worth up to 4 billion rand ($232 million), the firm representing the businesses has calculated. Loss adjustment firm Insurance Claims Africa (ICA) is …

South Africa Regulator Probes Insurance Contracts Over Unpaid COVID-19 BI Claims

A South African regulator is studying insurance contracts after customers complained that claims related to the coronavirus were unfairly rejected. One outcome from the process could include an order from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority on the fairness of wording …

South African Retailer Steinhoff to Sell Assets After $7B Accounting Fraud

Scandal-hit South African retailer Steinhoff said on Tuesday its only hope for survival is to sell off assets to become a retail-focused investment holding firm, as it fights to contain the fallout of a $7 billion accounting fraud. The company …

S. Africa Insurer Discovery Opens Bank, Challenging Traditional Lenders

It took Discovery Ltd. 1.5 million man hours over four years to build a bank. When the startup opens to the public Monday it will challenge South African lenders with histories going back to 1838, and they’re ready for battle. …

Ex-CEO, 7 Other Execs Blamed for $7.4B Accounting Fraud at S. Africa Retailer Steinhoff

Former Steinhoff Chief Executive Markus Jooste and seven others were involved in a 6.5 billion euro ($7.4 billion) accounting fraud at the South African retailer, the new CEO said told lawmakers on Tuesday. Steinhoff said on Friday an independent report …

Built on Organic Growth, S. African Insurer Discovery Now Weighs M&As

South African insurer Discovery could expand through acquisitions in the future but must first work out how its innovative fluctuating premiums, based on clients’ lifestyle behaviors, could be applied to more traditional businesses. Discovery has spent more than two decades …

S. Africa Lender FirstRand Aims to Offer Services Such as Insurance

FirstRand Ltd. is emulating Amazon.com Inc. with a digital offering that will span everything from insurance, car license renewals to locating plumbing services as the South African bank chases new revenue sources. Africa’s biggest lender by market value is pushing …