Maysure Financial Services

Shari’ah-compliant investing is often spoken about as a faith-based financial solution, but its appeal is becoming broader.

This BusinessTech article, presented by Standard Bank, looks at why more clients are paying attention to Islamic banking principles, including transparency, ethical conduct, accountability, shared responsibility and value-aligned financial decision-making.

For Muslim clients, Shari’ah compliance remains central. But for many other investors, the same principles also connect with the growing demand for responsible and values-based finance.

The most important part of any investment decision is understanding what you are invested in, how it works, and whether it aligns with your goals, values and risk profile.

Shari’ah-compliant investments are structured differently from conventional products. They generally avoid interest-based structures and certain industries, and focus on principles such as ethical investment, transparency and real economic activity.

It is also useful to know that Shari’ah-compliant banking and investment options are available through several South African financial institutions, including providers such as Standard Bank, FNB and Absa, among others.

But the provider is only one part of the decision.

Before choosing any investment, ask:

Does this match my values?
Does it fit my long-term goals?
Do I understand the fees, risk and expected return?
Is it suitable for my tax position and broader financial plan?
Have I compared it properly with other available options?

Ethical investing should still be informed investing.

At Maysure, we believe your financial plan should reflect both where you want to go and what matters to you along the way.

Read the full article on BusinessTech:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/872261/ethics-transparency-value-why-islamic-banking-is-winning-new-customers/

Ethics, Transparency, Value: Why Islamic Banking is Winning New Customers For many years, Islamic banking was primarily associated with faith-based financial services designed to meet the needs of Muslim communities.

This week’s economic calendar is worth watching and not because households need to react to every headline, but because these updates help us understand where pressure may be building.

Business Day TV’s Economic Week Ahead looks at key signals for South Africa, including business confidence, fuel prices, trade data, manufacturing activity and broader private-sector performance.

Economic data helps explain the environment, but your financial plan should guide your response. You cannot control fuel prices, global oil markets, business confidence or exchange-rate movements, but you can control how prepared your finances are.
That means reviewing your budget, managing debt carefully, keeping your emergency fund realistic, and making sure your investment and retirement decisions are still aligned with your long-term goals.

Watch the full Business Day TV video here:
https://www.businessday.co.za/bdtv/2026-08-31-watch-the-economic-week-ahead/

WATCH | The Economic Week Ahead Kevin Lings, chief economist at Stanlib, and Business Day TV discuss what to watch for in the economic week ahead

Can you open a new retirement annuity after you have already retired?

According to this Moneyweb Ask an Advisor article, the answer is yes. There is nothing preventing someone from opening a new retirement annuity after retiring from another retirement fund and already drawing an income from a living or guaranteed annuity.

But the more important question is not only “can you?”
It is “does it make sense for your full retirement plan?”

A retirement annuity can still offer tax benefits if you have taxable income in retirement. This may include annuity income, rental income, consulting income, business income or other taxable earnings.

The value of the benefit depends on your personal tax position, your marginal tax rate, your cash flow needs and how the RA fits into your broader estate and retirement plan.

Retirement planning does not stop the day you retire.

Your needs may change. Your income sources may change. Tax rules may still create planning opportunities. And the right structure can make a meaningful difference to how long your money lasts.

But an RA is not a simple “yes or no” product decision.

It affects access to your money, retirement income planning, tax efficiency, beneficiary planning and long-term liquidity. That is why it should be considered alongside your existing annuity income, discretionary investments, emergency funds and estate plan.

The article is a useful reminder that retirement is not the end of financial planning. It is a new phase of it.

Before opening a new RA after retirement, ask:

Do I still have taxable income?
Will I benefit from the deduction?
Can I afford to lock this money into a retirement structure?
How will this affect my income, tax and estate planning?
Do I have enough accessible money outside retirement products?

Used correctly, a retirement annuity can still play a role after retirement. Used without proper advice, it can create unnecessary restrictions.

Read the full article on Moneyweb:
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/qa/advisor-questions/can-i-open-a-new-retirement-annuity-after-retiring-and-still-receive-tax-benefits-part-ii/

Can I open a new retirement annuity after retiring and still receive tax benefits? (Part II) A second advisor answers this reader’s question.

SARS is preparing for a major shift in how VAT is managed in South Africa and while it may sound like a tax admin update, businesses should not ignore it.

BusinessTech reports that SARS has opened public comment on its proposed Digital VAT Model, which brings together e-Invoicing, an interoperability framework and e-Reporting.
In simple terms, SARS wants VAT information to move closer to real time. Instead of relying so heavily on manual submissions and after-the-fact checks, the long-term goal is for VAT compliance to become part of the systems businesses already use every day.

That could mean:
- Structured digital invoices, not just emailed PDFs
- VAT data flowing more directly between businesses, service providers and SARS
- Pre-filled VAT returns over time
- Faster validation of transactions
- Better fraud detection
- Potentially quicker refunds for compliant vendors

But the article only tells part of the story.

This is not an overnight change. SARS’ consultation paper points to a phased journey, with preparation, solution development, testing, piloting and gradual implementation over several years.

Businesses will need time to get ready, for larger companies, this may mean ERP and accounting system upgrades, and for smaller businesses, the challenge may be more practical: digital literacy, software costs, staff training, process changes and making sure invoices are created in the correct format.

The opportunity is better compliance, fewer manual errors and a more predictable VAT process, but the risk is waiting until the system becomes mandatory before checking whether your business is ready.

If you are VAT-registered, this is a good time to start asking better questions:
- Is our accounting software future-ready?
- Are our invoices structured properly?
- Are our VAT records clean and consistent?
- Do our finance processes rely too much on manual fixes?
- Do we understand what this could mean for cash flow, refunds and compliance?

Digital tax administration is coming. The businesses that prepare early will have a smoother transition than those that only react when SARS forces the change.

Read the full article on BusinessTech: https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/870719/big-change-for-vat-in-south-africa-as-sars-pushes-new-system/

Big change for VAT in South Africa as SARS pushes new system SARS has called for public comment on the implementation of a new digital VAT system for the country.

Good news may be coming for South Africa’s inflation outlook, but households should still stay cautious.

BusinessTech reports that economists expect headline inflation to ease when Stats SA releases July’s inflation data, helped mainly by the petrol and diesel price cuts that came through during the month.

That would be welcome relief after inflation rose to 5.0% in June, putting pressure on consumers, businesses and the interest-rate outlook.

Lower fuel prices may help bring the headline number down, while higher electricity tariffs, municipal increases, insurance costs and services inflation may continue to put pressure on household budgets.

In other words, inflation may cool on paper, but many South Africans may still feel the squeeze in real life.

A lower inflation reading would be encouraging, especially if it improves the interest-rate outlook ahead of the Reserve Bank’s next meeting. But one better number does not mean your budget can go onto autopilot.

This is a good time to review where your money is actually going.

Check your transport costs. Look at your electricity spend. Review your insurance premiums. Make sure your debt repayments are still manageable, and, where possible, keep building your emergency fund so that rising costs do not force you into expensive credit later.

Economic seasons change, and some pressure may start to ease. But financial resilience is built by preparing before the next increase arrives.

Read the full article on BusinessTech: https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/870297/good-news-for-south-africa-expected-next-week/

Good news for South Africa expected next week South Africa's headline inflation is expected to ease when Stats SA reports it next week, helped by a sizeable petrol price cut in July.