New players are emerging capable of challenging Capitec. Previously, attempts by Standard Bank and FNB did not lead to a significant change in Capitec's development trajectory; however, the digital bank GoTyme, which rebranded from TymeBank in April, attracted over 12 million customers faster than expected. Meanwhile, Capitec maintains a strong position, boasting a market capitalization of 545 billion rand on the JSE and a customer base of 14.3 million people.
However, PlusB, Pepkor's future banking structure, differs from its competitors not so much in the product it currently lacks, but in what it brings with it. The timeline for this project is no longer hypothetical. Pepkor received approval from the Prudential Authority in November 2025 to establish the bank and submitted an application under section 16 concerning operational readiness at the end of March 2026. The final regulatory step is obtaining permission to accept deposits.
The bank launch is scheduled for April 2027 under the leadership of CEO Merwe Scholtz, who began his career at Capitec. The company's goal is to reach 1.8 million customers with core banking services by 2032. Pepkor's store network processes 22 million cash deposits and withdrawals annually, as well as four million account payments. These transactions occur directly in stores where people purchase essential goods weekly, rather than in offices or kiosks in expensive shopping malls.
It is important to accurately define the scale of Pepkor's presence, as the overall figure differs from the relevant one. The group has 6,500 physical points of presence. The group's South African retail portfolio, including Pep, Ackermans, Dunns, Shoe City, and Tekkie Town, exceeds 2,500 stores, which is more than the combined branch networks of the four largest banks. It is this South African portfolio that the South African bank can leverage.
Furthermore, Pepkor has 32 million customer touchpoints: these are individuals who have purchased clothing on credit, financed a phone through FoneYam, or paid a bill at the checkout. These individuals are already known to Pepkor and are not merely potential customers. However, the quality of these relationships varies greatly. The same customer might be listed across several separate Pepkor businesses. For example, installment payments for clothing constitute a different data asset than a payment for a FoneYam device, which again differs from a bill payment. A significant portion of this data may be inactive or too small to support credit underwriting. Thus, the pool of potential customers is smaller than it appears at first glance.
FoneYam provides a useful credit signal that is now substantial: by the end of March, the company had a book balance of 2.6 billion rand and 2.4 million active customers, representing a 53% increase over 12 months. Knowing who can afford a monthly payment of 150 rand gives insight into payment discipline, although this is not equivalent to personal credit underwriting and is insufficient for calibrating a credit portfolio during a downturn.
There is also Flash, a fintech business infrastructure that processes transactions for utilities, electricity, and payments in small local shops (spaza shops) across South Africa, and it belongs to Pepkor. No previous competitor of Capitec possessed such a combination of distribution, customer data, and informal economy infrastructure. Nevertheless, this advantage carries a risk: Flash processes low-value transactions without customer identity verification (no-KYC). Agent-based banking requires full Fica compliance at the point of service, whereas the informal traders that make Flash valuable are precisely where compliance with these regulations is most difficult.
The most pressing question is that MTN is already operating in this channel with 22,000 agents. The company launched MoMo Pay for informal traders in 2025 and formalized its partnership with spaza shops in June 2026. PlusB aims to gain approval for what MTN is already doing. Analysts suggest that the PlusB thesis is based on the assumption that Pepkor already possesses customers and data and only lacks banking infrastructure. However, it must be remembered that the implementation of core banking systems regularly suffers delays in terms of time and cost. The capital expenditure of 920 million rand does not address issues of integration, change management, or the learning curve when managing a credit portfolio considering risks. Pepkor currently lacks debt collection functions, anti-fraud operations, and regulatory capital. These can be created, but building these systems simultaneously with attracting an existing customer base and launching a payment product presents a complex execution challenge.
Part of Capitec's strategy that receives insufficient attention is execution discipline. Capitec's advantage was built over years of operation in this market, not acquired through data aggregation. The parallel in distribution with Pepkor is real, but the operational parallel is assumed, not demonstrated.
The thesis of transitioning from retail to banking has mixed global experience. Walmart attempted to enter the US banking market twice but failed both times. The second time, it withdrew its application for an industrial credit company charter in March 2007 after discovering that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would not provide deposit insurance. The obstacle was regulatory objection to large-scale combinations of retail and banking, not a lack of distribution. Since then, Walmart has developed financial services through partnerships and fintech projects.
The UK offers a longer experiment. Marks & Spencer sold its financial division, HSBC, in 2004 for 580 million pounds sterling. The M&S Bank brand was launched in 2012 as an HSBC-backed venture with in-store branches and current accounts, but it subsequently scaled back its operations to cards, loans, and savings, and this year it abandoned an independent banking license, becoming part of HSBC UK. Fourteen years of a trusted retail brand, a loyal customer base, and backing from a banking balance did not result in the creation of an independent institution.
Neither of these examples directly matches the situation with PlusB in a market where formal banking penetration is not yet complete. However, both cases serve as reminders that the gap between asserting 'we know our customers' and 'we manage a profitable portfolio at scale' is where most retail-to-banking transition projects fail. Distribution is necessary, but it is not sufficient.
These precedents also raise the issue of pricing. Comparing it to Capitec suggests that PlusB will copy Capitec's low-fee model. Pepkor's more direct route is cross-selling credit and insurance to its already known base. If this is the case, PlusB might end up being more expensive for the mass consumer than implied by the analogy. This is a legitimate strategy, but it is not identical.
The Federal Revenue has started issuing the National Registry Code for Legal Entities (CNPJ) in an alphanumeric format, combining letters and numbers, specifically for new registrations, following Normative Instruction RFB No. 2,229. This change does not affect organizations or individuals who had CNPJs issued before this date.
The new model maintains the 14-position structure but allows the first 12 characters to be composed of both numbers (from 0 to 9) and uppercase letters (from A to Z). The last two characters remain numeric, serving as the Verification Digit (DV), calculated by a specific method.
Although the alphanumeric CNPJ was announced by the Federal Revenue in October 2024, it only became officially recognized this July. The main purpose of this modification is to increase the volume of available combinations for creating CNPJs, given that an estimated almost 70 million out of 100 million numerically possible CNPJs have already been used.
The adoption of this format aims to prevent the future exhaustion of free combinations, considering that individuals and corporations can maintain multiple CNPJs, and many of these records are canceled without being reusable.
According to a statement from the Federal Revenue itself, the first CNPJ generated under the new standard occurred on the day of publication, designated for a Banco do Brasil branch, with the code 00.000.000/E08G-12. However, the Federal Revenue clarifies that not all CNPJs issued starting this Friday will immediately follow the new format, as the stock of purely digital numbers has not yet been exhausted.
This period is considered a transition phase. The Federal Revenue reported that it is collaborating in a coordinated manner with government agencies, representative entities, and technology providers to ensure a smooth transition. This care is necessary because, although public and private organizations have received almost two years to adjust their systems to the new standard, some companies may face delays or technical difficulties during implementation.
It should be noted that CNPJs issued previously under the old standard remain valid and do not require updating; the new format is exclusively for new issuances.
The sharp increase in oil prices, resulting from the energy crisis in the Middle East, prompted several countries in the second half of 2026 to intensify incentives for the purchase of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This movement resulted in record sales for this segment across 50 different markets.
According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than 9 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold in the first half of the year, with over 5 million of these units specifically registered between April and June.
This progress occurred against a backdrop of a general contraction in the global automotive market. Despite the drop in total vehicle sales and the slowdown observed in major markets such as the United States and China, nations dependent on oil imports accelerated their migration to electrified models.
The energy crisis forced a reassessment of priorities by various governments, especially those most affected by the cost of foreign fuel acquisition. The IEA indicated that the rising cost of supply strengthened the argument that electric vehicles can reduce countries' vulnerability to oil price fluctuations.
The agency classified this event as the largest documented supply disruption and highlighted that the impact on fuel prices contributed to a new wave of policies focused on the electrification of land transport.
In the period between March and June 2026, plug-in vehicle sales doubled in countries such as Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, and Vietnam compared to the same period the previous year. This growth was accompanied by the implementation of new government actions aimed at stimulating the purchase of these automobiles.
Australia expanded its subsidies for plug-in models and accelerated a plan to install public charging points. In Thailand, a financing program was established for consumers interested in battery-powered cars. Vietnam, meanwhile, maintained tax benefits for these types of vehicles until 2030.
Other nations also implemented similar measures. France nearly doubled the public funds allocated to electrification, while Spain extended tax discounts related to the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of chargers.
The IEA reported that dozens of administrations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America expanded existing programs or created new incentive mechanisms shortly after the start of the energy crisis.
The increase in the sales of electrified vehicles gained prominence for occurring during a period of decline in the automotive sector. In the first half of 2026, global vehicle sales recorded a 5% reduction compared to the previous half.
Despite a weaker start to the year, electric and plug-in hybrid models regained momentum in the second quarter, accounting for 24% of global light vehicle sales in the first six months of the year.
This expansion occurred even with the contraction in the two largest automotive markets on the planet. In China, total vehicle sales fell by 20% in the first half, although new energy vehicles, a category encompassing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, experienced a smaller reduction due to decreased subsidies.
In the United States, the picture was different. After the expiration of the federal tax credit for electric vehicles and the reduction of incentives linked to energy efficiency goals, manufacturers received fewer stimuli to prioritize electric models. Nevertheless, the country achieved its highest volume of electric vehicle sales in the second quarter since the end of the tax benefit.
For those who need a new printer, whether for work-from-home activities, studies, or daily use, this is a good time to do research. Three multi-function options available on sale on Amazon have been gathered, featuring models from well-known brands and functionalities that go beyond simple printing.
The Epson Ecotank L3250 is an inkjet multi-function printer that uses an ink tank system, eliminating the need for conventional cartridges and significantly reducing the cost per page. This model offers color printing, copying, and scanning, has Wi-Fi connectivity, and is dual voltage, which facilitates its use in various environments. It is considered ideal for those looking for an economical and versatile device for daily use.
Another alternative is the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2975 Color Multi-Function Printer. This option is compact and affordable, aimed at those who want a color multi-function printer while maintaining HP quality. It performs printing, copying, and scanning functions, making it practical for both residential and small office use. Its discreet design allows for easy accommodation in smaller spaces, and the Ink Advantage line was developed to provide a good balance between cost and ink yield.
The HP Smart Tank 589 Multi-Function Printer, which also operates with an ink tank system, ensures high capacity and long-term savings, complemented by Wi-Fi and USB connectivity. As a complete multi-function device, it prints, copies, and scans in color, making it recommended for users with higher printing volumes who wish to avoid constant supply expenses. Furthermore, the HP Smart app allows for print management directly from the smartphone.
It is important to note that promotional stocks on Amazon tend to sell out quickly, so it is advisable to check availability via the links as soon as possible. Consumers can take this opportunity to compare the different models and select the one that best suits their routine.
