Rumour has it that this week it was leaked out onto the streets (namely the social network called Twitter) that FNB (First National Bank) South Africa are looking to license the online payment giant in South Africa. For some years now, Paypal has been sitting off the shores of the country that is longing to have the international option to make and receive payments online.
Many of my friends online as well as online marketers and businesses have been waiting intensely to have Paypal open up its online banking for all to use locally. A good friend of mine keeps telling me that he would like to expand his service offering beyond South African shores and would like to offer and use the Paypal payment gateway on his websites.
Unfortunately, Paypal has kept putting off venturing to local shores because of possible elevation of online fraud amongst other things. Well I, like so many others, cannot wait for FNB to seal the deal with Paypal and introduce the this giant online payment gateway to the country.
Paypal coming to South Africa will encourage more and more businesses to feel comfortable to enter the online market because of their clean reputation in the online space. Markets in South Africa could face a major uplift should Paypal grace us with their facilities online.
The best part is that the FNB and the South African Reserve Bank are in talks to bring Paypal in to the country by April this year, ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup! Think of the business that could be generated with overseas folks simply using their Paypal accounts to pay for things locally online; accomodation, travel, entertainment, etc.
I will be very excited to hear the news in the coming weeks if Paypal open for business in South Africa.
Since my life has pretty much revolved around technology for the past decade I thought it appropriate to write about the past 10 years of change and innovation that has taken place on Planet Earth.
From the Y2K hype at the turn of the last century (of which we will never know if our biggest fears would have ever really happened) to the DotCom Era of booms and crashes on the stock market, we have survived and exceeded expectations in the world of technology – the Digital Decade.
Written about by Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates back in 2001, the Digital Decade had yet begun with the man himself. He initiated this by encouraging us to get on to the Internet via Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.
Technology has soared in leaps and bounds this past decade, whilst policies and procedures are still catching up. For example, read how the FTC guidelines have suddenly changed after 30 years.
Certainly in my opinion, one of the most influential companies of the Digital Decade has been Apple Inc. Along with founder Steve Jobs, Apple Inc has revolutionised the consumer electronics media market, selling over 200 million iPods as well as selling loads of iPhones. Apple have also sold billions of songs on their iTunes media player which was made available to both Mac OS users and PC users.
Cellphones have become smaller and smarter to what we now refer to as Smartphones, creating an all useful electronic that fits in your pocket.
GPS navigational units have helped us save fuel and time by getting us to our destinations quicker and has also helped us save the environment in the process.
The paperless office has become more and more of the norm these days rather than a novelty heard about from some trendy, new office spaces. eBooks and digital information are fast becoming the way we refer to reading and learning in the Digital Age. Amazon has just released its Kindle Wireless Reading Device which allows you to read ebooks bought from there Amazon Store online. What an awesome way to spend time on the Underground and public transport.
Google became the Internet search giant of the Digital Decade, making the way we search for things on the Internet much more relevant and accurate after the recent Caffiene update in June of this year.
The freely available social media websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Wikipedia are some of the top visited on the Internet today because of the interconnectivity they offer between friends, family and common interests. There is no doubt they will continue to grow into something so much more in the future.
So to sum up I have included some of Justin Harrison‘s predictions for 2010 below or on YouTube.
as well as selling loads of iPhones. Apple have also sold billions of songs on their iTunes media player which was made available to both Mac OS users and PC users.
which allows you to read ebooks bought from there Amazon Store online. What an awesome way to spend time on the Underground and public transport.
