Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 37 | Page 53

CASE PROFILE STUDY TRUST IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY, AND CONSISTENT EFFORTS MUST BE MADE TO ENSURE THAT TRUST. a person has sufficient data capabilities to be able to process this payment via their phone. The payment provider needs to ensure they can seamlessly process the payment safely and securely. Collaboration is thus key in this process. What challenges have you had to overcome? Trying to achieve exponential innovation comes with its fair share of challenges. In the payments industry for instance, our biggest concern is around misconceptions around security. Consumers take a lot of time to change behaviours and have concerns regarding cybersecurity and fraud. According to a 2018 Mastercard survey, 87% of South Africans believe that data breaches and www.intelligentcio.com hacks are the new normal and will likely happen to everyone. The key to addressing this is three- fold. First, it’s necessary to establish a dialogue involving knowledge-sharing with government and banking and technology partners to address these issues in a collaborative way. Second, deploy the technological tools available that minimise fraud concerns and strengthen authenticity. Tokenisation and Artificial Intelligence have been instrumental in achieving these goals. Lastly and most importantly, it is necessary to raise awareness on these issues to gain trust among consumers. Trust is the foundation of the digital economy, and consistent efforts must be made to ensure that trust. Every company that aims to innovate will have its fair share of challenges while trying to achieve exponential innovation. But keeping the larger picture in mind and addressing these concerns is essential not just for a firm’s growth, but also their sustainability and survival. By executing a three-pronged approach and leveraging technology to achieve exponential innovation, it is possible to transform industries, benefit economies and positively impact and enrich communities. The world today is evolving at an exponential pace – disrupting technologies are changing the way people shop, travel, communicate, pay and much more. Exciting times lie ahead, providing companies are able to approach and harness innovation in the right way. n INTELLIGENTCIO 53