Explore the evidence.
Understand the reach.

This paper examines the emergence and strategic evolution of InnBucks MicroBank Limited, a Zimbabwean Microfinance organisation that evolved from a restaurant-change management digital wallet into a licensed deposit-taking microfinance bank serving around 3 million users within 4 years. Operating in what is arguably one of the most extreme VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments globally, characterised by currency failures, chronic hyperinflation, regulatory unpredictability, and severe infrastructure deficits, InnBucks offers a compelling case for exploring how organisations emerge, adapt, and scale amid genuine chaos.  The analysis incorporates five theoretical frameworks: Chaos Theory, Entrepreneurial Orientation Theory, Disruptive Innovation and Frugal Innovation, the Viable System Model, and Strategic Decision-Making Theory. These are utilised to explain InnBucks' institutional pivots, its evolution to a registered deposit taking microfinance, its utilisation of Simbisa Brands' restaurant network as financial infrastructure, and its recent shift to cloud-native banking through the Mambu/AWS partnership. The paper proposes the ARISE (Agility, Resilience, Innovation, Systemic, Entrepreneurial) conceptual framework, which combines five theoretical perspectives into a practical model to steer strategic emergence in resource-limited, institutionally fragile environments. It concludes that InnBucks' trajectory challenges traditional assumptions about the prerequisites for financial innovation and provides transferable insights for emerging organisations operating within Sub-Saharan Africa's growing fintech ecosystem.

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the use of digital finance by SMEs. The study is mixed method in nature where literature review was used as a source of information in identifying variables to be tested in the questionnaire. Data was collected from different parts of the eThekwini metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 400 SMEs owners/managers who are operating in Inanda, KwaMashu and uMlazi. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and data was collected through a 5-point Likert scale closed-ended questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using SPSS (Version 29.0). The main findings of this study were 87 percent indicated financial support as the challenge for the use of digital finance by their businesses. While in the qualitative response, the majority indicated that government policies are lacking in regards to the use of digital finance in these industries. It has to be noted that this study is confined in the eThekwini Metropolitan areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Therefore, the generalisation of these results needs to be made with care.

This study evaluates Sub-Saharan African bitcoin governance models using regulatory sandboxes. 180 relevant studies were synthesised using PRISMA (2021–2025). The discovery, screening, eligibility, and inclusion phases of the research identified noteworthy trends and findings. Analysing study findings into prominent patterns and key themes deepens this investigation. Sandboxes in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana provide controlled testing of blockchain ideas but suffer regulatory fragmentation, algorithmic prejudice, and monopolistic behaviour. Governance hurdles and diffusion dynamics are examined using TOE and DOI frameworks. It presents inclusive, adaptive, and internationally aligned sandbox governance rules. The article offers evidence-based ways to balance innovation, financial stability, and consumer protection to inform legislation.

In South Africa, only 6% of the population is expected to retire with financial independence, and the implementation of the Two-Pot retirement system in September 2024 exacerbates the retirement savings dilemma, underscoring an urgent necessity for creative retirement planning solutions. This article thoroughly delineates the present status of research into the utilisation of Robo-advisors in retirement planning. This analysis evaluates the appropriateness and feasibility of employing Robo-advisors to enhance and democratise digital financial advice within the context of a developing economy like South Africa, particularly through the adoption of the Two-Pot retirement scheme. A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted utilising the Emerald Insight, ProQuest, and Scopus databases to find peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2019 and 2024. These articles critically assessed the function of Robo-advisors in democratising financial advice, providing a cost-efficient, accessible, and perhaps less biassed alternative to conventional advising services. The study highlights the imperative for future research to guarantee the ethical, transparent, and controlled implementation of robo-advisory services in South Africa. The literature analysis delineates five pertinent study themes: emerging literature on Robo-advisors, behavioural dimensions, risk assessment, regulatory frameworks, and Robo-advisor characteristics pertinent to the South African retirement context, considering the Two-Pot retirement system.The report delineates potential research opportunities for each highlighted issue to aid scholars in performing empirical investigations aimed at optimising retirement planning in South Africa through the use of Robo-advisors.

This paper examines the emergence and strategic evolution of InnBucks MicroBank Limited, a Zimbabwean Microfinance organisation that evolved from a restaurant-change management digital wallet into a licensed deposit-taking microfinance bank serving around 3 million users within 4 years. Operating in what is arguably one of the most extreme VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments globally, characterised by currency failures, chronic hyperinflation, regulatory unpredictability, and severe infrastructure deficits, InnBucks offers a compelling case for exploring how organisations emerge, adapt, and scale amid genuine chaos.  The analysis incorporates five theoretical frameworks: Chaos Theory, Entrepreneurial Orientation Theory, Disruptive Innovation and Frugal Innovation, the Viable System Model, and Strategic Decision-Making Theory. These are utilised to explain InnBucks' institutional pivots, its evolution to a registered deposit taking microfinance, its utilisation of Simbisa Brands' restaurant network as financial infrastructure, and its recent shift to cloud-native banking through the Mambu/AWS partnership. The paper proposes the ARISE (Agility, Resilience, Innovation, Systemic, Entrepreneurial) conceptual framework, which combines five theoretical perspectives into a practical model to steer strategic emergence in resource-limited, institutionally fragile environments. It concludes that InnBucks' trajectory challenges traditional assumptions about the prerequisites for financial innovation and provides transferable insights for emerging organisations operating within Sub-Saharan Africa's growing fintech ecosystem.

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the use of digital finance by SMEs. The study is mixed method in nature where literature review was used as a source of information in identifying variables to be tested in the questionnaire. Data was collected from different parts of the eThekwini metropolitan area. The sample consisted of 400 SMEs owners/managers who are operating in Inanda, KwaMashu and uMlazi. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used, and data was collected through a 5-point Likert scale closed-ended questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using SPSS (Version 29.0). The main findings of this study were 87 percent indicated financial support as the challenge for the use of digital finance by their businesses. While in the qualitative response, the majority indicated that government policies are lacking in regards to the use of digital finance in these industries. It has to be noted that this study is confined in the eThekwini Metropolitan areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Therefore, the generalisation of these results needs to be made with care.

This study evaluates Sub-Saharan African bitcoin governance models using regulatory sandboxes. 180 relevant studies were synthesised using PRISMA (2021–2025). The discovery, screening, eligibility, and inclusion phases of the research identified noteworthy trends and findings. Analysing study findings into prominent patterns and key themes deepens this investigation. Sandboxes in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana provide controlled testing of blockchain ideas but suffer regulatory fragmentation, algorithmic prejudice, and monopolistic behaviour. Governance hurdles and diffusion dynamics are examined using TOE and DOI frameworks. It presents inclusive, adaptive, and internationally aligned sandbox governance rules. The article offers evidence-based ways to balance innovation, financial stability, and consumer protection to inform legislation.

In South Africa, only 6% of the population is expected to retire with financial independence, and the implementation of the Two-Pot retirement system in September 2024 exacerbates the retirement savings dilemma, underscoring an urgent necessity for creative retirement planning solutions. This article thoroughly delineates the present status of research into the utilisation of Robo-advisors in retirement planning. This analysis evaluates the appropriateness and feasibility of employing Robo-advisors to enhance and democratise digital financial advice within the context of a developing economy like South Africa, particularly through the adoption of the Two-Pot retirement scheme. A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted utilising the Emerald Insight, ProQuest, and Scopus databases to find peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2019 and 2024. These articles critically assessed the function of Robo-advisors in democratising financial advice, providing a cost-efficient, accessible, and perhaps less biassed alternative to conventional advising services. The study highlights the imperative for future research to guarantee the ethical, transparent, and controlled implementation of robo-advisory services in South Africa. The literature analysis delineates five pertinent study themes: emerging literature on Robo-advisors, behavioural dimensions, risk assessment, regulatory frameworks, and Robo-advisor characteristics pertinent to the South African retirement context, considering the Two-Pot retirement system.The report delineates potential research opportunities for each highlighted issue to aid scholars in performing empirical investigations aimed at optimising retirement planning in South Africa through the use of Robo-advisors.