Newsrooms Archive - Netcash

Netcash slashes carbon emissions with new solar installation

Jacques du Preez — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 07:38:06 +0000

Netcash slashes carbon emissions with new solar installation

Cape Town, South Africa, February 2022

Leading payment solutions provider, Netcash, has invested in a grid-tied solar energy solution in line with its drive to reduce carbon emissions and operate in a more sustainable manner. IMPOWER, a vertically integrated energy company, was the contractor responsible for engineering, procurement, and project management for the solar installation.

The system comprises 162 solar photovoltaic (PV) modules installed on the east and north facing roofs of the Netcash head-office in Cape Town, as well as a 60kW Huawei inverter. This configuration can generate 90 530 kWh per year, 80% of which Netcash consumes directly and 20% of which is fed back into the grid to be used later.

The solar solution caters for around 46% of the building’s total power consumption and will reduce Netcash’s annual carbon emissions by nearly 97 tonnes per year. Netcash will accrue cost savings of R130 000 in the 2022/3 financial year by reducing its grid power consumption. The solution will pay for itself in 3 years.

Given that South Africa is still so heavily dependent on power from fossil fuels, investing in solar is one of the best ways for any company to mitigate risk and reduce carbon emissions. We are pleased with the cost savings we will achieve, but what matters to us even more is making a small contribution towards the transition to cleaner and more sustainable power generation.

Charles Pittaway, CEO of Netcash.

IMPOWER Head of Engineering, Gabriel Kroes, adds: “Grid-tied solar power is one of the fastest and most efficient ways for any company to achieve a return on investment from renewable energy. It’s affordable, quick to install and enables a business to dramatically reduce its carbon emissions. Leading companies like Netcash find that solar system installations are a great way to make productive use of their vacant roof space.”

About Netcash

Established in 2003, Netcash is a payment solutions provider delivering debit orders, salary and creditor payments, Pay Now, eCommerce, and risk report services to South African businesses and organisations. The company provides multiple innovative and integrated online payment solutions that are efficient, simple, and cost efficient. Netcash is registered with the FSCA, PASA and is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant.

www.netcash.co.za

The post Netcash slashes carbon emissions with new solar installation appeared first on Netcash.

Netcash and Retail Capital team-up in SA-first to offer instant funding disbursements

Jacques du Preez — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 07:13:18 +0000

Netcash and Retail Capital team-up in SA-first to offer instant funding disbursements

Tuesday 2 February 2022

Netcash, a leading payment solutions provider, teams up with Retail Capital, South Africa’s premier SME funder, to introduce instant funding disbursements—a first in the South African market. This groundbreaking partnership provides a unique platform for rapid access to unsecured funding, enabling businesses to receive financial support within minutes from application to disbursement. The unique offer allows businesses, large and small, access to instant finance to manage cash flow when required, to use for expansion plans or working capital, and much more. Starting 1 February 2022, this innovative funding solution becomes available to qualifying Netcash Debit Order and Pay Now customers, offering quick financial injections when needed most.

With over 10 000 merchants who use the Netcash platform to manage debit orders, salary payments, ecommerce subscriptions and more, this new opportunity provides additional value to its user base.

We have had a relationship with Retail Capital for many years, but the time was right to formalise it and integrate our tech stacks so that our customers can access instant funding from the country’s leading financier in just minutes,”

Charles Pittaway, CEO of Netcash.

The process is incredibly simple: a customer will have access to funding provided that they have been using Netcash for a minimum of three months and they have built up sufficient history on their Debit Order and Pay Now collections.

Nathi Thela, CEO of the Institute of Management Accounting and Strategy says of the experience of accessing funds via the Retail Capital/ Netcash platform, “The application process was seamless, efficient and fast. We didn’t have to submit many documents and there was no need to have a follow-up phone call once we had applied. For a business like ours, we need access to capital and this process is incredibly quick, the money is literally in your bank account in minutes. This is what we expect from fintechs in the age of disruptive technology.” Anonymised data which is compliant with all POPIA regulations is used to consider the Instant Funding amount and will only be de-anonymized with explicit consent before being shared with Retail Capital. No collateral is required. The funding offer includes estimated payment timeframes as well as total costs, making it a fully transparent process. On reviewing the opportunity, merchants can apply, be approved in seconds, and have the funds transferred within just minutes.

This is a game-changing way to fund small, medium and large businesses. As we do with all our funding processes, we work on the merchant’s turnover to best understand their financial position and grant them funding based on this, where payments are turnover based not a regular, fixed-sum. The same applies here, but due to the integration of both Netcash’s and Retail Capital’s tech stacks we have been able to reduce the funding timeline even more by using AI to instantly approve a merchant’s application,

Karl Westvig, Retail Capital CEO.

Pittaway says that he believes partnerships like this are the way of the future. As while there are stand-alone industry specialists, the use of data sharing systems allows for more interconnected business when value is created for the end-user. “We believe in having partnerships with best-in-breed providers and relationships like we have with Retail Capital to bring the very best opportunities for merchants to market.”

The new funding system has undergone extensive testing to ensure that the platforms integrate seamlessly and quickly.

“Speed was a non-negotiable for us as there is nowhere else where you can access funds this fast. When applying for an extension on an overdraft, this could take weeks, while an application for credit from a bank takes time, not to mention the collateral that is needed; we have cut out all of this to become the first to offer real-time, pre-approved funding in minutes,” says Pittaway.

Retail Capital, which has disbursed over R4,5-billion to a market of over 38 000 SMEs believes the partnership provides it with access to a range of new and bigger businesses, including gyms, ecommerce providers and large businesses that use Netcash for salary purposes, media companies and education institutions, including many more.

We are always looking for innovative ways to expand our funding approach. The partnership with Netcash has enabled us to reach more businesses, whether it be for expansion plans, cash flow, or working capital. It is a natural partnership that has worked seamlessly for both parties, and most importantly for the end-user who is looking for ways to scale their business or manage it more optimally.

Karl Westvig, Retail Capital CEO.

About Netcash

netcash.co.za

The post Netcash and Retail Capital team-up in SA-first to offer instant funding disbursements appeared first on Netcash.

Netcash and AMP Events support South African artists with virtual lounge sessions

Jacques du Preez — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 14:30:40 +0000

With COVID-19 bringing most live music in South Africa to a screeching halt over the past 18 months, many artists have been left without a steady income. Leading payment solutions provider, Netcash, and AMP, one of South Africa’s premium live music event promoters, have stepped into the breach by hosting intimate virtual lounge sessions where leading musicians play for corporate audiences.

We’re passionate music fans and supporters of South African musicians at Netcash. Our Netcash Lounge Sessions have been a great way to create wonderful, shared memories for our team. Until we can safely go back to live events again, supporting virtual events is a great way for businesses to keep the flame of South African music alive and continue to support our local music industry.

Netcash MD, Charles Pittaway

Curated by AMP’s Andrew Mac Pherson (Andy Mac), these online experiences offer audiences starved of live entertainment an opportunity to hear performances by their favourite local music artists, while letting the musicians earn income and do what they love – playing in front of an audience, albeit in a more informal setting.

Says Andy Mac – frontman of Flat Stanley and owner of AMP who has brought events and bands like The Cure, Pixies, Live, Kings of Chaos and The Dire Straits Experience to South Africa: “Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have shared stages with most major South African music artists as a member of Flat Stanley. I’ve gone on to be able to book many of them for our AMP festivals and events either as headliners or as support acts for the international touring artists. When COVID-19 hit, it completely devastated our industry.”

These online events have been a fulfilling way to help my musician friends during these times. The format works extremely well, letting the audience see and experience a different side of their favourite artists, who may be playing out of their lounge or home studio. They not only get to hear great live music, but also to interact with the artists and get to know them a little better. The intimacy of the shows is something special that people will always remember.

Andy Mac

Over the past year, AMP has hosted virtual experiences for many leading South African companies, featuring performances from the likes of Majozi, Donovan Copley (Hot Water), Ard Matthews (Just Jinjer), Matthew Mole, Goodluck, Early B, Ross Learmonth (Prime Circle), Diamond Thug, Jethro Tait, Richard Brokensha, Paige Mac, Richard Stirton and many more.

I can’t express enough how awesome and important doing these shows was. Not only did they give me some income during difficult times, but they also gave me an appreciation for art and human interaction. Even through a screen, it does powerful things – not only through the creator of the art, but to the recipients too. We need more initiatives like this, especially now, to help artists and to uplift people’s spirits.

Majozi, singer and song writer

There are a few people I absolutely love working with in the South African music industry and Andy is one of them. Working with him to craft one-of-a-kind online events at this unique time in history has been a gift and a pleasure. It further demonstrates the asset Andy is to our industry.

Donovan Copley, Hot Water

At the end of 2019, as I was preparing for a three-month European theatre tour, little did I know what was coming. Having no gigs to look forward to and a world that had completely turned upside down, left my entertainment industry colleagues and I in a challenging state. It takes initiatives, like this one from Netcash, to give a sense of hope to the entertainment community. Without their input I might have put down my guitar and given up. We had some incredible shows with Netcash and AMP, which left everyone feeling positive about the future. Their support to the musicians has been a saving grace during these extremely tough times.

Richard Brokensha

Are you looking for a way to build team morale or entertain clients during this time of social distancing?

Andy Mac and the AMP Events team can arrange a virtual lounge session for your business featuring your choice of artists from a diverse roster of household names.

About Netcash

www.netcash.co.za

The post Netcash and AMP Events support South African artists with virtual lounge sessions appeared first on Netcash.

Netcash partners with Ecwid E-Commerce to make it easier for SMEs to launch online shops

Jacques du Preez — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 01:15:02 +0000

Leading payment solutions provider, Netcash, has partnered with eCommerce platform, Ecwid eCommerce, to launch Netcash Shop.

Powered by Ecwid eCommerce, Netcash Shop allows merchants to create an eCommerce shop and start selling their products online within a matter of minutes.

Tight integration with Netcash Payment Gateway makes it simple for merchants to accept a wide range of payments options. With no setup charges and low transaction fees, Netcash Shop is one of the most powerful and cost-effective eCommerce platforms for small and medium businesses. The launch of this new offering gives smaller South African companies a new eCommerce platform and shopping cart option that costs around half as much as the other popular solutions. For companies that already have a website, a Netcash Shop shopping cart or shop can easily be added to a site built on a content management system like WordPress, Wix or Joomla.
Those that don’t have a site can create an Instant Site, no coding required, or add their Netcash Shop to their social media platforms. Once a business sets up its Netcash Shop, it can easily promote and sell its products on Google, Facebook, Instagram, email and other platforms.

Business owners can manage their shop on-the-go with the Netcash Shop mobile app for iOS and Android. The close partnership between Ecwid eCommerce and Netcash also means that clients will be able to access local first-line support for the software driving their online shop. The fully integrated Netcash Payment Gateway allows merchants to offer clients multiple payment options when checking out.

On the heels of the banner year for eCommerce, there has never been a more critical time for SMEs to sell online,

Scott Varner, Vice President of Business Development at Ecwid eCommerce.

We’re excited to announce our partnership with Netcash and the opportunity it represents for local merchants to access a whole range of powerful, easy-to-use e-commerce solutions to help their businesses grow and thrive. We are launching Netcash Shop with the goal of making it easy for small merchants to launch an online shop, complete with integration into a payments gateway and logistics partners. Ecwid E-Commerce was the perfect partner for this venture with a robust, yet easy-to-use platform that powers hundreds of thousands of online shops in 175 countries.

Charles Pittaway, managing director at Netcash.

The launch of Netcash Shop is just the beginning of our drive to make e-commerce more accessible to small and medium business in South Africa, with a single platform that covers all the basics. Over the months to come, we aim to build an e-commerce ecosystem that offers a wide range of tools and solutions that empower our merchants to do more online.

About Netcash

www.netcash.co.za

The post Netcash partners with Ecwid E-Commerce to make it easier for SMEs to launch online shops appeared first on Netcash.

Netcash partners with Zapper and SnapScan to expand mobile payments acceptance options for SMEs

Jacques du Preez — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 17:50:41 +0000

Johannesburg, South Africa – 17 August 2020 – Netcash, a market-leading payment solutions provider, has added QR payments from Zapper and SnapScan to the payment methods supported on its Pay Now Online Payment Gateway, Pay Now Invoice billing platform and Pay Now Request alerts. This further expands the payment methods Netcash offers its merchants to give customers even more choice in how they pay.

Netcash merchants can generate a QR code on an email or paper invoice generated from various accounting and billing software that integrates directly with the Pay Now Invoice. Users will be able to settle the bill by scanning the QR code from their smartphone and the payments will be reconciled automatically with the accounting software. Netcash already integrates with several leading accounting and ERP solutions.

Merchants can also generate a QR code on their smartphone and show it to their customers for instant on-the-spot payment. QR codes are supported in the Pay Now Online Payment Gateway and in Pay Now Request, an email or SMS service that merchants use to alert customers to outstanding payments.

“Our goal at Netcash is to make it more convenient for customers to pay businesses, so that our merchants can get paid faster and with less hassle,” says Charles Pittaway, managing director at Netcash. “Adding Zapper and SnapScan to the QR code payment services we support allows merchants to offer customer convenience, letting people choose how they want to pay.”

Netcash processes over two million bills annually for a wide range of small merchants, including schools, non-profit organisations and traders. It offers merchants a wide range of payment acceptance options, including Instant EFT, Bank EFT, Credit Card, Visa Checkout, Retail Payments, as well as mobile wallets and payments apps from leading banks, mobile operators and payments companies.

Says Brett White, CEO at Zapper: “By partnering with Netcash, we can offer our users more utility within the Zapper application. In addition to using Zapper to pay at the point of sale or on an e-commerce site, they will also be able to scan and pay more bills through the application. QR code payments put control of transactions in the hands of consumers, facilitating easy payments in online and offline environments ranging from small vendors to tier one retailers.”

Chris Zietsman, CEO at SnapScan, says: “In this time of physical distancing when many of us don’t want to handle cash or cards, we have seen many small merchants moving away from traditional payments and rapidly adapt to the new normal. Our partnership with Netcash enables them to offer a simple click-to-pay link for mobile payments that offers a richer and more convenient user experience.”

In addition to Zapper and SnapScan, Netcash supports several QR code payment services and applications. These include directly through the FNB Pay, Nedbank Scan to Pay and Capitec banking apps, and via the Masterpass app for Absa, Standard Bank, VodaPay, and Spot (Virgin Money) customers.

About Netcash

www.netcash.co.za

The post Netcash partners with Zapper and SnapScan to expand mobile payments acceptance options for SMEs appeared first on Netcash.

Mastercard partners with Netcash on QR code billing service

Shane Joseph — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 12:59:16 +0000

Mastercard partners with Netcash on QR code billing service

Payment solutions provider Netcash has collaborated with Mastercard to launch QR code payments across its billing platform, as part of its efforts to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) collect revenue more effectively. Consumers will be able to pay for services from thousands of small businesses, schools and non-profit organisations by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone.

According to the companies, the QR payment system will meet the demand of today’s connected consumers who are increasingly seeking easy and contactless ways to pay their bills during social distancing.

Netcash processes two million bills annually for a wide range of small merchants, including schools, non-profit organisations and tradesmen. Through the collaboration with Mastercard, Netcash will enable these merchants to accept card payments from select Masterpass-enabled digital wallets across various channels including physical or digital invoices, e-commerce sites as well as at Point of Sale.

Consumers can pay their bills by scanning the QR code with any Masterpass digital wallet, the Scan to Pay functionality in the Nedbank or FNB banking apps or with Zapper. They then select the payment card they would like to use and enter their bank card’s ATM PIN or One Time PIN number to authorise payment. Their account will be updated immediately.

Suzanne Morel, country manager for Mastercard South Africa, says the partnership frees South Africans from having to withdraw cash, hand over their payment card, or load a new beneficiary onto internet banking.

Helping SMEs collect revenue

Charles Pittaway, managing director at Netcash, adds, “We are using the latest technologies to make it as easy as possible for SMEs to collect revenue from their customers. Offering a selection of seamless payment options that can be used across channels such as mobile, e-commerce, and in the face-to-face retail environment is an important part of achieving that goal.”

“Our strategic partnership with Mastercard allows anyone with a mobile device to process secure online payments by simply scanning the QR code on their bill and following the on-screen prompts. This is in addition to the 3D secure credit card payments already available through Mastercard, including the ability to process cash payments powered by Masterpass.”

Netcash will automatically enable QR payments across its suite of invoicing services, through its integrated accounting and ERP software. For example, Sage Accounting software can now produce an invoice that will display a QR code linked to that specific document, which will automate the reconciliation process once payment is made.

The Masterpass checkout service will also be offered to any business considering customised integration to internal billing systems though Netcash’s Application Programming Interface (API), and to Point of Sale software companies to produce on-screen or printed QR codes on bills.

About Netcash

www.netcash.co.za

The post Mastercard partners with Netcash on QR code billing service appeared first on Netcash.

Navigating the national lockdown as a business community

Liana Clark — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:07:49 +0000

Navigating the national lockdown as a business community

by Charles Pittaway, Managing Director at Netcash.

There’s no question that the national lockdown in South Africa has placed untold pressure on us all, including our customers, colleagues, partners and communities. The Covid-19 outbreak may be disrupting businesses of all sizes, but it is first and foremost a humanitarian and health crisis which means the safety of our employees is top of mind.

At Netcash, we have continued to monitor the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, with a view to responding decisively. With that in mind, I am proud of our team and how quickly we have managed to mobilise resources to meet the needs of our colleagues and continue serving our customers.

We have put a number of measures in place to ensure that we continue to provide our customers with uninterrupted service. This means all of our staff are set up to work from home while calls and emails are being re-routed accordingly.

As a proudly South African company, we understand that the impact of the pandemic is having widespread implications for most businesses. At Netcash, we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that our service levels and support remain uninterrupted. As always, our customers are top of mind.

To ensure minimal disruption to our customers’ payment and collection processes, our recommendation is that batches are submitted, authorised and – in the case of payments – funded timeously.

While our teams continue to work from the safety of their homes, they are committed and as determined as ever to continue supporting our customers with relevant information and technology to successfully navigate one of the most challenging environments in living memory.

We have invested extensively in the digital transformation of our customer experience over the past 17 years. This means we already have the tools and platforms in place to continue to support our customers.

At Netcash, we support the decisive action taken by the South African government to ensure the safety of its people. We are all in this crisis together, so our focus for the next few weeks will be to work with our colleagues, customers, partners and communities. We will weather this storm by collaborating and caring for one another.

About Netcash

www.netcash.co.za

The post Navigating the national lockdown as a business community appeared first on Netcash.