The launch of the Mzansi Money Transfer will go some way to meeting the banking needs of lower-income earners who, despite opening Mzansi accounts, are showing a relatively low usage of the product. According to Colin Donian, head of Mzansi at the Banking Association, 1,6-million people have now signed up for the Mzansi bank account.

If you don't have a medical aid, hospitals will demand deposits of at least R40 000 before they will admit you.

From June 1, when the Usury Act will be replaced by new credit pricing for unsecured loans, credit card providers will be able to charge much higher interest rates than previously. This means the banks will be willing to lend to higher-risk customers and, as a result, there will be even more credit card offers out there.

It would seem that MTN Banking was not the first to market with a pure cellphone banking product. Wizzit, a small company that has purposely stayed under the radar screen for fear of being trampled on by the bigger banks, launched a cellphone-banking product in November last year.

Selecting a medical scheme with the right cover at the right price is a minefield.

Brazil World Cup -- for R35 a day.

A well-known author has warned of high-debt states solving their widening deficits through predation. Maya Fisher-French reports.

The Financial Intelligence Centre Act has ensured that it is far easier to spend your money than to save it.