smelatest news & developments
Speaking in tongues: While Washington sought to scupper the success of the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by South Africa and actually boycotted the event, American business was in the plenary halls and vocal at the B20.

B20: A catalyst for Africa’s luxury renaissance

The world is moving from borrowing African aesthetics to embracing African authority

  • Eyaaz
7 min read

Standard Bank reaffirms commitment to South Africa’s SME growth following successful 2025 SAFT summit

Standard Bank’s headline sponsorship of the 2025 South African Future Trust (SAFT) Summit reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to unlocking opportunities for South African small and medium enterprises, which remain central to the country’s economic transformation. The Summit, held earlier in November 2025 at the Sandton Convention Centre, brought together more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers […]

  • Shaun Goosen
4 min read
Alternative solutions such as revenue-based finance and invoice-based finance can provide capital for small and medium businesses to grow. Photo: Oupa Nkosi

How to boost your business credit using alternative funding strategies

There are ways for start-ups and small and medium enterprises to avoid financing problems

4 min read
Norman Nyawo, Head of Merchant Solutions at Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank South Africa

Game-changing tech adoption can turn SMEs into retail giants

The story of technological innovation is one of empowerment. For SMEs, embracing digital transformation is not optional but essential

3 min read