A decade ago, barely anyone you knew would even have heard of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, let alone blockchain technology. But today, the tokenisation of digital assets is so important that regulators around the world are paying increasing attention to it.

Dr Wiehann Olivier is passionate about the financial guardrails that need to be in place for digital asset adoption to increase. Having completed his PhD in topics related to the assurance needed in a blockchain context, Wiehann has become a subject matter expert within the global Forvis Mazars ecosystem.

On this podcast, he joined me to walk us through the evolution of cryptocurrency from the initial Bitcoin years through to the modern environment of stablecoins and widespread adoption by leading institutions.

You can connect with Wiehann on LinkedIn here.

Duma Mxenge (Head of Business and Market Development at Satrix) joined me right at the start of the year to talk about some of the things we would be looking out for in the markets this year. With the benefit of hindsight, we could now dig into some of our winners, overall surprises and missed opportunities in 2025.

We also took the opportunity to talk about the nuances for entrepreneurs when it comes to personal financial management. Drawing on my own experience, I shared some of the strategies I use for dealing with variable income. As Duma has these conversations with other entrepreneurs on a regular basis, he threw some great insights into the mix about how entrepreneurs tend to think about their wealth creation journeys - and the biggest mistake they make: treating their businesses as their retirement plans.

This podcast was first published here.

Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd & Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider. The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP’s, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information. For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products

WeBuyCars is an excellent example of a disruptor in the South African market, having completely changed the way people buy and especially sell their vehicles. Gone are the days of desperate listings in the classifieds and opaque market prices that are difficult to estimate. Today, the used car market is liquid and filled to the brim with data, thanks primarily to the scale achieved by WeBuyCars.

As a sign of just how valuable the data and technology systems are, WeBuyCars has announced that Chief Digital Officer Wynand Beukes will also take the role of Deputy CEO as part of succession planning at the group. CEO Faan van der Walt isn't going anywhere just yet though - he still has plenty of energy to give the group.

In this candid discussion about the vehicle market and the business, Faan and Wynand joined me to discuss topics like:

• The succession planning at the group and what investors can expect from this.
• The significant changes in the local vehicle landscape and the impact this has had on used car vehicles and trade patterns.
• The flexibility in the WeBuyCars business model and how they use data and technology to buy smarter and optimise their operations.
• Opportunities related to value-added services and expansion of the footprint.

Please note that I have a long position in WeBuyCars at the time of this recording - a position that I have written about many times before.

This podcast has been sponsored by WeBuyCars. As always, I was given an opportunity to dig into the strategy and ask my own questions in my quest to learn more. You must always do your own research and speak to a financial advisor before making any decision to invest. This podcast should not be seen as an investment recommendation or an endorsement.

Lesaka Technologies is among the most interesting companies listed on the JSE. With a growth strategy that is grounded firmly in the belief that Southern Africa offers one of the most exciting opportunities in the world today, Lesaka is executing from a tried-and-tested playbook of disruption in the fintech space.

To explain the opportunity and how Lesaka’s business model is built to win, Executive Chairman Ali Mazanderani joined me on this podcast. He brings deep experience in building multi-billion dollar platforms around the world.

In Ali’s own words, “A lot of the best innovation happens with constraint, not with largesse.” Get ready for fantastic insights into building platforms in Africa, with Lesaka as a homegrown example that can be accessed on the JSE. To learn more about Lesaka, you can visit their website here.

This podcast has been sponsored by Lesaka Technologies. As always, I was given an opportunity to dig into the strategy and ask my own questions in my quest to learn more. You must always do your own research and speak to a financial advisor before making any decision to invest. This podcast should not be seen as an investment recommendation or an endorsement.

Kingsley Williams is the Chief Investment Officer at Satrix, which means he has built his career around being a student of the markets. He started working right before the dot com bubble, so Kingsley has seen exactly what happens when you have herd mentality in the markets.

Bubbles. Biases. Big market moves and the way they make people behave - it's all here in this great conversation around how to stay sane in a market that is driven by emotion, and one of the most dangerous human traits of all: greed.

Speaking of greed, Kingsley also addressed the frequently misquoted Warren Buffett comment about greed vs. fear.

The markets continue to dish up opportunities and risks. The more we look at history and try to learn from it, the better our chances of future success.

This podcast was first published here.

Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd & Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider. The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP’s, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information. For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products

Optasia is listing on the JSE, which means that South African investors will have the opportunity to invest in this exciting fintech business. With a proprietary platform and extensive relationships across numerous emerging and frontier markets, Optasia builds bridges between financial institutions and underbanked consumers seeking airtime credit and microfinance solutions.

To explain how the business works, Salvador Anglada (CEO, Optasia) joined me for this detailed discussion. We covered the core underlying model, the DNA of the business and the journey to scale, along with the importance of the relationships that have been built in this ecosystem. We also covered off the risks and opportunities for the group.

As always, remember to do your own research and to treat this podcast as being for informational purposes only. For more information on Optasia, visit the website here.

We all need somewhere to live, but that doesn't mean that buying property should be the default decision. Most of all, it doesn't mean that buying any property at any price is sensible. Data-led decision making is crucial when buying a home, especially in South Africa where house prices don't automatically go up.

Hayley Ivins-Downes and the team at Lightstone Property are passionate about helping South Africans apply more science to the emotiv decision of buying a home. With incredible data on property across the country, Lightstone makes it easier to avoid turning a dream home into a nightmare.

On this podcast, Hayley unpacked topics like:

• Relative property values across provinces and the trend over the years
• Development activity and the types of properties being built
• The effect of the interest rate cycle
• Semigration trends and the impact they have on values
• How the average age of buyers has increased vs. ten years ago
• The question on everyone's lips in Cape Town: has the property trend reached a relative peak?

Property is one of the most important financial decisions you can make. If you do the research before you buy stocks, you should certainly do it before you buy property. You can learn more about Lightstone here.

AI has dominated the headlines this year and is the cause of seemingly bottomless investment in markets like the US. This is technology theatre at its finest, accompanied by flashy presentations and even flashier share prices at the world's biggest tech companies.

But what impact is it actually having on the corporates on the ground who are the eventual users of the service?

To unpack where AI works (and doesn't) in the real world, Shane Cooper (Head of Digital Advisory at Forvis Mazars in South Africa) joined me for a frank discussion. We covered a number of topics including:

• AI as the "smartphone moment" of this tech era
• The key considerations for executives in AI implementations
• Global and local examples of AI implementations in companies like Zeiss, Sasol, Siemens, Walmart and Shoprite
• How SMEs are viewing and applying the AI opportunities
• Disruption to the internet economy as we know it
• Why AI is still "hallucinating" answers to questions
• The near-existential questions that AI poses for humanity
• How to think about your job in the context of AI's strengths and limitations

Buckle up. This is a powerful discussion about probably the most important business topic in the world today. You can connect with Shane on LinkedIn here.