Bizskoops - 15 January 2026

On this week’s Bizskoops, economist Professor Waldo Krugell explains how global shocks and geopolitical flashpoints, from trade tensions to military interventions, can filter through to South Africa’s growth, inflation, currency, and investment climate. This follows Pretoria’s strong condemnation of the recent US military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Chris Hattingh from the Center for Risk Analysis (CRA) tells us more about how this could impact foreign policy, the rules-based order, and South Africa’s positioning in a fragmenting world. On the investment front, Todd Micklethwaite, Executive Head: Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Sanlam Investments, joins us ahead of this year’s Africa's Green Economy Summit to unpack how blended finance models and partnerships with DFIs can unlock capital at scale for Africa’s green transition. We then continue our conversation with Hirander Misra, Chairperson and CEO of GMEX Group, on the realities of driving sustainable development in the finance sector in emerging markets and what it takes to align fintech innovation with credible impact. Finally, we turn to trade corridors and logistics with Monray van Rooyen, Head of Business Development for Sub-Saharan Africa at DP World. He unpacks how DP World is enhancing end-to-end supply chain solutions for exporters and importers in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area, tackling challenges such as long distances, complex borders, and freight bottlenecks, while embedding sustainability and renewable energy across African operations.