GoTyme Bank Ltd. has invited all its employees to share ownership in the digital lender controlled by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe as it seeks to scale up operations. Africa’s first profitable standalone digital bank this week extended the offer to its 2,000-strong global employee base across all levels of the company and started sessions to educate staff about the new incentive and i...
GoTyme Bank Ltd. has invited all its employees to share ownership in the digital lender controlled by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe as it seeks to scale up operations. Africa’s first profitable standalone digital bank this week extended the offer to its 2,000-strong global employee base across all levels of the company and started sessions to educate staff about the new incentive and its potential benefits. “We want our staff to behave like owners,” Chief Executive Officer Cheslyn Jacobs said on the sidelines of an event in Johannesburg Thursday night. “This business still is in a hyper-growth phase so we think this is going to make meaningful differences to our people’s lives.” Majority owned by Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital Investments Ltd. , GoTyme Bank has more than 21 million customers in South Africa and the Philippines, where it runs a joint venture with the Gokongwei Group . It’s also backed by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. and has operations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore. The lender was valued $1.5 billion in 2024 after a fundraising round that included a $150 million investment from Latin America’s most valuable financial company, Nu Holdings Ltd. Jacobs declined to share an updated valuation, saying instead that the business would post a record profit for the year through June and is signing up about 450,000 new clients per month across South Africa and the Philippines. While GoTyme is still working toward listing to further fuel its growth, its internal narrative around such a move has changed, Jacobs said. “We’ve publicly said we want to do this before the next decade, but we do talk about it slightly differently now,” he said. “What we’ve realized is you struggle to predict these things, so now we talk about being listing-ready from a timeline perspective in three to four years from now. But we’re only going to do it if it makes sense.” The lender would consider a listing anywhere globally closer to when it reaches 50 m...
A man who previously represented residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has been arrested, along with his wife, on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, the South China Morning Post has learned. Sources familiar with the matter said Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a director of Ace Interior Design & Engineering Company Ltd, and his wife, who is also a director of the company,...
A man who previously represented residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has been arrested, along with his wife, on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, the South China Morning Post has learned. Sources familiar with the matter said Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a director of Ace Interior Design & Engineering Company Ltd, and his wife, who is also a director of the company, were arrested on Thursday. The couple are suspected of borrowing hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong...
US grandmaster scored biggest success of his career at the Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz and is close to world top 10 Hans Niemann, the controversial US grandmaster whose game with Magnus Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup led to cheating allegations , a $100m lawsuit, an out of court settlement, the Netflix documentary Untold: Chess Mates , and a forthcoming book, scored the most important succ...
US grandmaster scored biggest success of his career at the Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz and is close to world top 10 Hans Niemann, the controversial US grandmaster whose game with Magnus Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup led to cheating allegations , a $100m lawsuit, an out of court settlement, the Netflix documentary Untold: Chess Mates , and a forthcoming book, scored the most important success of his career last weekend. Niemann, competing as a wildcard, won the $50,000 first prize at the Warsaw Rapid & Blitz in Poland, ahead of the US champion and the world No 3, Fabiano Caruana, India’s reigning world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, and the Candidates winner, Javokhir Sindarov. The event was part of the St Louis-backed Grand Chess Tour, which ends in August and includes the prestigious Sinquefield Cup. Continue reading...
From late-night calls with Stevie Wonder to tours with Frank Sinatra, the US singer seemed primed for pop success – so what caused her to hide from the public for decades? Finally back in the spotlight, she tells her remarkable story ‘I can’t believe this is actually happening!” Suzette Charles says on a video call. At 63, she is about to release her self-titled debut album 33 years later than she...
From late-night calls with Stevie Wonder to tours with Frank Sinatra, the US singer seemed primed for pop success – so what caused her to hide from the public for decades? Finally back in the spotlight, she tells her remarkable story ‘I can’t believe this is actually happening!” Suzette Charles says on a video call. At 63, she is about to release her self-titled debut album 33 years later than she had hoped, and her disbelief is understandable. Crowned the first biracial Miss America in 1984, aged 20, in controversial circumstances, Charles went on to suffer a lifetime of adversity. She faced a distressing tour with Bill Cosby and mistreatment by record labels, and her debut album was shelved when her songwriters Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) – who had made huge hits for Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley and more – split up. Then came a decades-long marriage that seemed to end her artistic career altogether. “You can’t make this stuff up,” she says. But Charles has reunited with Mike Stock to finally finish the most emotional of projects, her appropriately self-titled debut. “I love the way the album’s turned out,” Stock says. “I’ve worked with Paul McCartney, Donna Summer, Cliff Richard – as a singer, I’d put Suzette in that bracket.” Continue reading...
Wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama, the FA Cup reflects sporting heritage and mystique Footballing physiques have changed a great deal over the decades, but when Chelsea meet Manchester City on Saturday there’s one outline we’ll all recognise. While the average shape has got leaner and more toned, this body has stayed comfortable in its old-school proportions. A modest wa...
Wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama, the FA Cup reflects sporting heritage and mystique Footballing physiques have changed a great deal over the decades, but when Chelsea meet Manchester City on Saturday there’s one outline we’ll all recognise. While the average shape has got leaner and more toned, this body has stayed comfortable in its old-school proportions. A modest waist gives on to surprisingly wide hips. Arms that have never lifted weights remain a little skinny for the frame. And yet none of this has been a hindrance in the modern game: every year, the FA Cup trophy still ends up on the winning team. This is one of sport’s most iconic pieces of silverware, wreathed with more than 150 years of hopes, dreams and drama. It’s a far more emotive sight than the cartoonishly crowned Premier League trophy, or even the stylishly minimalist Champions League trophy. And this makes it even more extraordinary to remember that the object itself is still not out of its tween years. This weekend it will make its 13th Cup final appearance. Continue reading...
History shows there have been more short-lived Labour governments than long-lasting ones. The party must secure a clear, progressive legacy In democratic countries at least, government is often about getting things done in time. Sooner or later, voters always turn on national leaders and governments fall. Even the most promising policy ideas are left unfulfilled. With one important exception, this...
History shows there have been more short-lived Labour governments than long-lasting ones. The party must secure a clear, progressive legacy In democratic countries at least, government is often about getting things done in time. Sooner or later, voters always turn on national leaders and governments fall. Even the most promising policy ideas are left unfulfilled. With one important exception, this life cycle is usually briefer for Labour governments, since they face more opposition from the media and powerful economic interests, and more suspicion from voters as a result. Despite the party winning three times as many big electoral majorities as the Conservatives over the past 30 years, Labour governments are still seen as unnatural by many people, both outside and inside the party. And without an assumed right to rule, governments age fast. Continue reading...
Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, David Raya and Rayan Cherki are the leading contenders By WhoScored There is a version of this season in which Bruno Fernandes left Manchester United in the summer. “The club wanted me to leave,” he said in December. Thankfully for United fans, he stayed, navigated the tactical ambiguity of playing for Ruben Amorim and led the team back into the Champi...
Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, David Raya and Rayan Cherki are the leading contenders By WhoScored There is a version of this season in which Bruno Fernandes left Manchester United in the summer. “The club wanted me to leave,” he said in December. Thankfully for United fans, he stayed, navigated the tactical ambiguity of playing for Ruben Amorim and led the team back into the Champions League. Continue reading...
The 35-year-old will break the Bears’ top-flight appearance record against Northampton – and still hasn’t scored a try Bristol’s Jake Woolmore has been pursuing a couple of personal goals for a while. Beneath the Friday night lights in Northampton he is about to tick off one of them by breaking the Bears’ top-flight appearance record. If he is also able to mark this special occasion by surrenderin...
The 35-year-old will break the Bears’ top-flight appearance record against Northampton – and still hasn’t scored a try Bristol’s Jake Woolmore has been pursuing a couple of personal goals for a while. Beneath the Friday night lights in Northampton he is about to tick off one of them by breaking the Bears’ top-flight appearance record. If he is also able to mark this special occasion by surrendering his status as the least likely person in the league to score a try, so much the better. With fifth-placed Bristol seeking a win over the league leaders to bolster their playoff hopes, the 35-year-old prop is quick to stress the team’s interests come first. That said, if he makes it over the try‑line for the first time on his 142nd league appearance for the club (and 184th in all competitions), the celebrations will be even mightier. As he puts it: “I can’t imagine there are many people who’ve played over 180 games for one club without scoring.” Continue reading...
“Bhajan clubbing” is drawing Gen Z crowds across India. No alcohol, no DJs, just performers leading Hindu devotional songs set to bass-heavy beats. It’s part of a wider shift reshaping how young Indians are engaging with the faith. (Source: Bloomberg)
“Bhajan clubbing” is drawing Gen Z crowds across India. No alcohol, no DJs, just performers leading Hindu devotional songs set to bass-heavy beats. It’s part of a wider shift reshaping how young Indians are engaging with the faith. (Source: Bloomberg)
US President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to China on Friday, the first by a US leader in nine years. The three-day trip, originally scheduled for March, had been postponed as due to the Iran war. Following Trump’s departure, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day visit on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported exclusively. His trip will mark the first time Beijing has hos...
US President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to China on Friday, the first by a US leader in nine years. The three-day trip, originally scheduled for March, had been postponed as due to the Iran war. Following Trump’s departure, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day visit on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported exclusively. His trip will mark the first time Beijing has hosted the leaders of the two powers in the same month. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will...
Hong Kong must move beyond its traditional role as a “superconnector” and reposition itself as a “super value-adder”, a leading think tank has said, urging the city to strengthen its role in global supply chains and align with national development amid geopolitical and technological shifts. In a 216-page report released on Friday, the 2022 Foundation – founded by Fung Group chairman Victor Fung Kw...
Hong Kong must move beyond its traditional role as a “superconnector” and reposition itself as a “super value-adder”, a leading think tank has said, urging the city to strengthen its role in global supply chains and align with national development amid geopolitical and technological shifts. In a 216-page report released on Friday, the 2022 Foundation – founded by Fung Group chairman Victor Fung Kwok-king – set out a road map for Hong Kong’s next phase of economic growth. It highlighted the need...