TCS | VezoPay on new South African-made payment ring

Loading player...
A new smart payment ring has been launched in South Africa – and it’s built by South Africans for South Africans.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod chats to VezoPay founders Jake Pinkus and Lawrence Baker about the launch of the ring – it’s available in three variants at launch – and what was behind the idea.
In the interview, they not only explain why they decided to build a payment ring, but also why they’re entering what could soon become a highly competitive market globally, with both Samsung Electronics and Apple expected to launch their own smart rings later this year.
Pinkus and Lawrence unpack:
• How long they’ve been working on the payment ring, and where the idea came from;
• How much research and development was involved, and who’s backing the innovation;
• How the technology works, and what exactly is inside the ring;
• The various options available at launch;
• How it works without having to be charged;
• How the security features work (without giving the game away);
• How VezoPay is working with South African banks;
• Whether the ring can be used for ticketing (concerts, Gautrain, etc);
• How much it costs;
• The potential competition from Samsung and Apple; and
• VezoPay’s plans to expand beyond South Africa’s borders.
Don’t miss the interview!
1 Jul 2024 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS | Signal restored: Unpacking the Blue Label and Cell C turnaround

TechCentral’s guests in this episode of the TechCentral Show believe Blue Label Telecoms and its affiliate (and soon to be subsidiary) Cell C present a compelling investment case. Philip Short, global portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management – which counts Blue label as its sole South African investment – and…
28 May 35 min

TCS+ | Switchcom Distribution, and Huawei eKit in the hands of installers

This episode of TCS+ is the third in a series of three focused on the relationship between Switchcom Distribution and Huawei eKit as well as the networking solutions the two companies are providing for SMEs in South Africa and the rest of Africa. Dewald van Eck, networking engineer at Switchcom…
26 May 22 min

TCS | Tertius Zitzke on 4Sight’s big turnaround

4Sight Holdings has turned the corner and has signalled this with a recent move from the AltX to the main board of the JSE. CEO Tertius Zitzke is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the turnaround he’s leading – not…
26 May 39 min

TCS+ | Schneider Electric's Clive Roberts on driving digitisation in the CPG sector

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, we chat to Clive Roberts, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) segment leader for anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric. In this discussion, Roberts unpacks the focus of the company’s segment, which covers the dynamic food and beverage industry across 24 African nations, encompassing about…
22 May 40 min

Reserve Bank fintech head Lyle Horsley on the G20 TechSprint

One of South Africa’s responsibilities as president of the global Group of 20 (G20) nations in 2025 is to hosting the G20 TechSprint, an event that invites innovators from around the world to develop financial solutions that solve the most pressing challenges faced by central banks. The South African Reserve…
22 May 28 min