South Africa

The country Internet and e-commerce infrastructure of which we are to consider today is South Africa. The country is located at the southern tip of Africa, with a 2,798 kilometres coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north of the South Africa lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is known for diversity in cultures and languages. The economy of the country is mixed with high rate of poverty and low GDP per capita.

Monday, HSBC unveiled its plans to acquire South Africa's fourth-biggest bank Nedbank.

Thus far, Europe's biggest bank is currently in exclusive talks with Anglo-South African insurer Old Mutual to buy Nedbank.

Not only footballers are gearing up for this month's World Cup extravaganza in South Africa, fraudsters are also aiming at FIFA. 

Football governing body FIFA has already warned supporters to be wary over various forms of scams that are likely to crop up in the run-up to the start of the tournament, which kicks off in ten days time.

A $16 million program was launched conjointly by Opportunity International, Melinda Gates Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation to help people in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa gain easier access to savings accounts and agricultural loans.

A mobile operator Vodafone is implementing M-Pesa payment system in South Africa after its successful deployment in Kenya.

Since its launch in 2007 by Vodafone affiliate Safaricom M-Pesa has been implemented in Tanzania and Afghanistan. According to the latest figures over 10% of Kenya's GDP now pass through the mobile banking service.

VeriFone Holdings, Inc. today announced a licensing agreement for deployment of its taxi payment and media solutions in South Africa. The agreement with iMobilise Transportation Systems (iMTS) will modernize taxis in time for the World Cup in June.
iMTS anticipates installation of VeriFone systems in 1,500 taxis in the urban centers of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Deployments will begin this spring and provide passengers with the latest in passenger information technology and payment options including credit cards, Chip and PIN-based debit, and contactless.