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!

Debt and Gambling

SA Employees Sink Deeper Into Debt and Gambling

31 July 2026

A fresh report from Old Mutual reveals that South Africa’s financial divide is becoming more pronounced, with a growing number of working people leaning on ...

Electricity Price Reforms

South Africa Set For Major Electricity Price Reforms

30 July 2026

South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the publication of the Revised Electricity Pricing Policy for public comment, aiming to bring greater transparency to the country’s tariff ...

SARS Warning for Anyone Who Filed This Year

SARS Warning for Anyone Who Filed This Year

29 July 2026

SARS has flagged a growing trend of scammers using artificial intelligence to produce convincing correspondence that mimics official tax communication, making it harder for taxpayers ...

SASSA Grant Under Review Expect Delays

SASSA Grant Under Review? Expect Delays

28 July 2026

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has cautioned thousands of beneficiaries whose grants are under review that their August payments will not arrive during ...

e-Travel Authorisation

New R500 Visa Fee Coming to South Africa

27 July 2026

The Department of Home Affairs has published proposed regulations that would bring in a R500 processing charge for Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) issued in South ...

SARB Pause Eases Vehicle Loan Costs

SARB Pause Eases Vehicle Loan Costs

24 July 2026

South Africans with car loans have reason to breathe a little easier this week, after the Reserve Bank chose to keep borrowing costs exactly where ...

Repo Rate Freeze

Repo Rate Freeze Brings Relief to SA Homeowners

23 July 2026

South African homeowners have been handed a welcome reprieve after the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee opted against raising interest rates, despite inflation figures for ...

SASSA Targets Grant Reviews

SASSA Targets 350 000 Grant Reviews to Cut Fraud

22 July 2026

The Minister of Social Development, Dina Pule, has announced that the government intends to review more than 350,000 social grants during the 2026/27 financial year, ...

Rand Could Hit R18 to the Dollar

Rand Could Hit R18 to the Dollar in 2027

21 July 2026

Anchor Capital has cautioned that the risks facing the rand remain extremely elevated and that the currency could weaken all the way to R18 against ...

SA Mobile Banking App Fraud

New Alert for SA Mobile Banking App Users

20 July 2026

South Africans who rely on banking applications on their mobile devices are once again being urged to exercise heightened caution whenever they are asked to ...

Rates on Hold Despite Inflation Risks?

Rates on Hold Despite Inflation Risks?

17 July 2026

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is widely anticipated to keep interest rates unchanged at its upcoming meeting, although economists caution that the outcome could ...

R33 Million SASSA Grant Fraud

R33 Million SASSA Grant Fraud

16 July 2026

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has terminated the employment of four officials from its Nebo Local Office in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune District, after an ...

TransUnion Q2 2026 Consumers Still Under Strain

TransUnion Q2 2026: Consumers Still Under Strain

15 July 2026

Households across South Africa continue to grapple with considerable financial pressure, as almost four out of every ten consumers (39%) anticipate falling behind on at ...

Pensioners Demand R5 000 Grant

Pensioners Demand R5 000 Grant

14 July 2026

Elderly citizens under the banner of Pensioners of South Africa (POSA) have appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and SASSA officials to acknowledge their hardship, saying ...

SARB's Rate Decision Next Week

SARB Rate Call Looms: Hold or Hike Again?

13 July 2026

Bank of America has indicated that it anticipates the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) will raise interest rates during its upcoming July Monetary Policy Committee ...

Premature Trust Penalties

SARS Backs Down On Premature Trust Penalties

10 July 2026

Trusts that were served with final demand letters in February, on account of failing to submit their 2024 and 2025 tax returns, have effectively been ...

Fortnightly Fuel Price Changes

SA Mulls Fortnightly Fuel Price Changes

9 July 2026

South Africa may be on the verge of departing from its long-established system of adjusting fuel prices on a monthly basis, after a suggestion was ...

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for August 2026

Confirmed SASSA Grants & Payment Schedule for August 2026

8 July 2026

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

New Travel Declaration

New Travel Declaration Now Mandatory, SARS Confirms

7 July 2026

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has emphasised that, although its recently introduced online travel declaration form is compulsory, travellers will not be refused entry ...

Immigration Framework

South Africa Set to Overhaul Its Entire Immigration Framework

6 July 2026

South Africa’s visa system is on the brink of a significant transformation, as the national government prepares to bring in new legislation aimed at tightening ...

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 ...