Worldwide, the financial services industry is facing a severe shortage of critical skills, according to a report issued today by PwC. Nearly half of the industry leaders taking part in the PwC 15th Annual Global Survey believe that the limited availability of key skills is a serious threat to their growth prospects. CEOs in the …. »
Liberty Life invited to South Africa Harry Beckwith, sales and marketing guru and bestselling author, to speak to its brokers at its Take The Lead Roadshow on service delivery and sales and marketing, as brokers often fulfil the roles of ‘salesmen’ and advisors. Harry took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some …. »
The 2012 Budget Speech, to be delivered by Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan next week, is likely to be the most challenging budget delivered in over 20 years. Amid widespread economic turmoil, the key challenge will be to bridge the gap between very difficult socio-political expectations and fiscal limitations, while at the same time maintaining …. »
COVER, in collaboration with CaseJohnson, an alternative distribution consulting firm, held a highly successful 1st African Bancassurance and Alternative Distribution Conference on 28, 29 and 30 May 2011. Delegates from 14 different countries (11 African countries), met at the Westin Cape Town Hotel to debate the future of insurance distribution in Africa. Africa, with nearly …. »
International credit rating agencies have had a torrid time since 2008. They have been partly blamed for the global financial crisis because of the inappropriate ratings they granted to the mortgage-backed securitised assets that were at the heart of the crisis, resulting in the accuracy and credibility of their rating models being questioned. Rating agencies …. »
Headline consumer inflation in the first nine months of 2011 mirrors that of the same period a year earlier at 4.6% but this masks the recent upward trend. Similarly, factory gate prices (producer price inflation) have risen 7.4% on average in the first eight months of 2011 compared to 5.9% over the same period last …. »
Absa has successfully trained the first group of Financial Advisers through the Absa Insurance and Financial Adviser Academy, as part of its skills development and job creation. The first group of the trained Financial Advisers will now be integrated into Absa, where they will provide the much-needed financial advice to clients. “This will complement the …. »
The Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning is a sought-after qualification accredited by the Financial Planning Institute (FPI). The programme offers important advantages for the prospective student that may be summarised as follows: Students are guided through the course by attending lectures once a week offered by well-qualified professionals. The course is spread over a …. »
Swiss Re, at its Nordic Risk & Insurance Summit (NORIS™) conference warned that the economic environment in the wake of the financial crisis is still very challenging and turbulent. The industry is moving from coping and survival to fixing profitability, product development, risk management and maximising capital efficiency. Many life companies still have a heavy …. »
IRMSA applied to SAQA to be part of the pilot project for the recognition of professional bodies and the registration of professional designations. SAQA will select eight professional bodies which will include a mix of different bodies (two statutory and six non‐statutory bodies; small, medium and large bodies; long-standing, newly established or emerging bodies; operating …. »
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