Ashton

Arcadia Finance - Marketing

I've been diving into online marketing and content creation, with a focus on personal finance and funding. But I'm not about dull finance content – I aim to create material that not only educates but genuinely helps. My mission? "Beyond information, I'm here to inspire!" Let's explore the world of finance together!

Car Loans

South Africans Keep Car Loans for Longer At a Cost

3 July 2026

Financially squeezed car buyers across South Africa are increasingly choosing loan agreements that lower their monthly instalments rather than focusing on the total amount they ...

Solo Home Buying

Solo Home Buying Rises Among Young South Africans

2 July 2026

A growing number of young South Africans are choosing to purchase property entirely on their own, marking a substantial shift in how the country’s newest ...

Credit Card Balances Climb

Credit Card Balances Climb as Repayment Strain Builds

1 July 2026

South African households are changing the way they borrow and manage credit as pressure on household budgets continues, according to TransUnion’s Q1 2026 South Africa ...

South Africans Lean Harder On Credit

South Africans Lean Harder On Credit As Living Costs Bite

30 June 2026

South African households are becoming more dependent on the credit facilities they already hold and are turning increasingly to short-term borrowing as they try to ...

Prime Lending Rate

South Africa Set To Phase Out The Prime Lending Rate

29 June 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has put forward a proposal to do away with the prime interest rate altogether, although the move to a ...

Urgent Banking Details Warning

SARS Issues Urgent Banking Details Warning to Taxpayers

26 June 2026

With Tax Season 2026 set to officially launch next week, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued a strong advisory urging all taxpayers across ...

Pensioners

Pensioners Say SASSA Should Be Paying R6 500

25 June 2026

The Older Persons Grant remains one of the South African Social Security Agency’s most critical and far-reaching social relief instruments, providing a financial lifeline to ...

SA's Unemployment Crisis

SA’s Unemployment Crisis Surpasses Great Depression Levels

24 June 2026

South Africa’s unemployment situation has deteriorated to such a severe degree that it now eclipses the rates of joblessness recorded in countries such as the ...

South Africa’s ATM Landscape Is About To Change Forever

23 June 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has put forward a far-reaching proposal that could fundamentally transform the way South Africans interact with cash-dispensing infrastructure across ...

Revolut

New Bank, New Options for South Africans

22 June 2026

London-based financial technology company Revolut is working towards establishing a full banking presence in South Africa by 2028, with its local waitlist rapidly closing in ...

South Africa's Rate Outlook

South Africa’s Rate Outlook Brightens Following US-Iran Truce

19 June 2026

The recently signed peace agreement between Iran and the United States might cause the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to reconsider its current interest rate ...

Btter Results for Credit Complaints

Credit Complaints to Ombud Rise, So Do Results

18 June 2026

South Africans are increasingly turning to the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) when disputes arise with lenders, and a growing number are walking away with ...

New Social Grant

New Social Grant Proposed for South Africans

17 June 2026

South Africa’s Department of Social Development (DSD) is working to finalise the policy framework for the new Basic Income Support (BIS) grant by March 2027, ...

Youth Credit Trend

Youth Credit Trends Point to Economic Shift

16 June 2026

As South Africa observes Youth Month this year, fresh figures from Experian’s Consumer Default Index offer a timely, if sobering, snapshot of how the country’s ...

South African Interest Rate Expectations

South African Interest Rate Expectations Undergo Significant Shift

15 June 2026

Market participants have substantially reduced their expectations for additional interest rate hikes by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) following a landmark United States and ...

Households Under Pressure Turn to Debt Counselling

12 June 2026

South African households are experiencing an intensifying level of financial pressure as a combination of rising interest rates, persistent inflation, and escalating living costs continues ...

Credit Market Recovery

SA Banks Get Relief as Bad Debts Decline

11 June 2026

South Africa’s largest banks are reporting a meaningful improvement in credit market conditions, supported by tighter lending standards and better-performing loan books. These findings form ...

SA Rate Hike

SA Rate Hike: Bad News For Borrowers, Good News For Savers

10 June 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has moved to increase the repo rate by 25 basis points, bringing it to 7.00%, with commercial banks widely ...

Monthly payments

Average South African Pays R9 300 More Every Month

9 June 2026

The average South African earning R30 000 per month could be handing over nearly half of their income to the government and various compulsory charges ...

AI for Debt Help

South Africans Turn to AI for Debt Help

8 June 2026

For a great many South Africans, very few telephone calls provoke as much anxiety and dread as one made by a debt collector. Whether a ...

South Africans Lose Billions to Fraud

South Africans Lose R2 Billion to Fraud

5 June 2026

South Africa is in the grip of a severe and rapidly escalating wave of digital banking fraud that has collectively cost consumers and banking customers ...

Taking out Loans

South Africans Take Out 875,000 Loans in 90 Days

4 June 2026

South Africa’s consumer credit landscape continued to deteriorate in the first quarter of 2026, with the latest Credit Stress Report revealing that total outstanding loan ...

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for July 2026

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for July 2026

3 June 2026

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed that July 2026 social grant payments will be staggered across the first week of the month ...

NSFAS to Refund Millions to Graduates

NSFAS to Refund Millions to Graduates

3 June 2026

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has announced that it has successfully identified a cohort of former beneficiaries who overpaid on their historical study ...

Saving

SARB Rate Call: Pain for Borrowers, Gain for Savers

2 June 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has opted to increase the repo rate by 25 basis points, bringing it to 7.00%. Commercial banks are consequently ...

New Rules for Vehicle Owners

SARS Introduces New Rules for Vehicle Owners

1 June 2026

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced significant new requirements affecting all owners and operators of foreign-registered vehicles crossing South African borders, representing a ...

South Africa Rate Hike

South Africa’s Rate Hike to Hit Homeowners and Borrowers

29 May 2026

South Africans will now be required to allocate considerably more of their monthly budgets towards the repayment of home loans, vehicle finance agreements, and credit ...

Micro loan

As Salaries Stall, Micro-Loans Fill the Gap for South Africans

28 May 2026

South Africa’s consumer credit landscape has undergone a profound structural shift, moving away from large, asset-backed borrowing and towards what can only be described as ...

Debt Repayments

Debt Repayments Now Swallow Full Salaries for SA’s Highest Earners

27 May 2026

South Africans who bring home more than R50,000 per month are now spending more than the entirety of their monthly salaries just on servicing their ...

South African Household

South African Households Brace for Another Rate Blow This Week

26 May 2026

South African households are facing the prospect of yet another squeeze on their finances as the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) moves closer to announcing ...

South Africa's Fuel Price

South Africa’s Fuel Price Reprieve Cut Short Before It Even Begins

25 May 2026

Following a dramatic swing in diesel prices across South Africa, petrol prices have also moved into an over-recovery position – but motorists should not celebrate ...

SA Property Market

Cost-of-Living Crisis Hits SA Property Market

22 May 2026

For most South African households, monthly housing costs – whether bond repayments or rental payments – represent the single largest line item in the family ...

SARS fraud

Criminals Pose as SARS in New Fraud Scheme

21 May 2026

South Africans are being urged to remain vigilant as fraudsters actively impersonate the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in a sophisticated scheme designed to drain ...

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for June 2026

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for June 2026

21 May 2026

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed the official payment schedule for social grants for June 2026, with disbursements set to begin in ...

Passport Services

Home Affairs Expands Smart ID and Passport Services to Banks

20 May 2026

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is set to significantly broaden the scope of services available at bank branches nationwide, with plans well underway to ...

SRD Grant

SRD Grant to Continue Through 2027

19 May 2026

The South African government has allocated R302 billion to the Department of Social Development for the 2026/27 financial year, with the bulk directed at monthly ...

Market

Rand Slides as Iran War Fuels Inflation Fears

18 May 2026

The rand and local financial markets have opened the new trading week on a weaker footing, battered by the prolonged Iran War and mounting inflation ...

SARS Tax Settlement Scam

SARS Sounds Alarm on Tax Settlement Scam

15 May 2026

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has officially issued a public alert regarding a newly identified scam that is currently circulating and actively targeting South ...

Interest Rate Pain Set to Deepen Across South Africa

Interest Rate Pain Set to Deepen Across South Africa

14 May 2026

The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is heading into what could be one of its most consequential meetings in recent years, ...

Licence Renewals

Good News for South African Drivers Facing Licence Renewals

13 May 2026

South Africa’s Driving Licence Card Account, commonly referred to as the DLCA, has unveiled a comprehensive plan to reduce the average production time for driving ...

300,000 Jobs Lost in South Africa

300,000 Jobs Lost in South Africa

12 May 2026

South Africa’s unemployment situation has taken a significant turn for the worse in the opening months of 2026, with the official jobless rate climbing by ...

Earnings Threshold Changes

SA Employers Face Earnings Threshold Changes

11 May 2026

A revised earnings threshold came into effect on 1 May, raising the level at which employees automatically qualify for certain protections under the Basic Conditions ...

Inflation

Inflation Deepens South Africa’s Household Crisis

8 May 2026

South Africans are facing an increasingly difficult financial reality, one in which the headline inflation figure no longer captures the true depth of the crisis ...

South African Interest Rates

South African Interest Rates on a Knife’s Edge

7 May 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is confronted with one of its most consequential monetary policy decisions in recent memory, as its upcoming Monetary Policy ...

South Africans Earning Over R500k

South Africans Earning Over R500k Urged to Prepare

6 May 2026

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has officially gazetted the annual salary threshold that determines which taxpayers are not required to submit a tax return ...

SA Businesses Face Insolvency

1,540 SA Businesses Face Insolvency

5 May 2026

South Africa is projected to record approximately 1,540 business insolvency cases in 2026, and whilst this figure represents a continuation of the broader downward trend ...

Rand

Rand Under Pressure as Global Tensions Rise

4 May 2026

The South African rand has found itself under considerable pressure as the new trading week gets underway, with financial markets actively digesting the latest signals ...

SA Import Changes

Food Prices Set to Rise After SA Import Changes

1 May 2026

The South African rand gained ground on Thursday as financial markets carefully assessed a series of monthly domestic economic data releases intended to provide a ...

Prime Rate Under Pressure

Prime Rate Under Pressure as SARB Eyes Change

30 April 2026

The prime lending rate has long occupied a central, if increasingly misunderstood, position in South Africa’s lending landscape. In its February 2026 consultation paper, the ...

Rand

Rand Slides as Markets Hold Their Breath

29 April 2026

The South African rand came under considerable pressure on Wednesday, 29 April, suffering a notable knock as investors grew increasingly cautious in the hours leading ...

Fraud Cases Surge

South Africa’s Microlenders Under Fire as Fraud Cases Surge

28 April 2026

South Africa’s microlending sector continues to serve as one of the most vital pillars of financial inclusion in the country, extending access to credit for ...

Credit for Millions

Credit for Millions, But at What Cost?

27 April 2026

April’s Financial Literacy Month presents an important opportunity to take stock of how far South Africa has come in broadening access to financial services – ...

Driving Licence Card Validity

SA Moves to Extend Driving Licence Card Validity to Eight Years

23 April 2026

The South African Department of Transport is in the process of formally extending the validity period of driving licence cards from five years to eight ...

Interest Rates in 2026

What Could Stop the SARB From Hiking Interest Rates in 2026

22 April 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) may choose not to increase interest rates in South Africa should the ongoing conflict involving Iran prove to be ...