'Stablecoins' and the move to decentralised finance

Loading player...
Business Law Focus Editor Evan Pickworth speaks to Ashlin Perumall, Partner in the Corporate/MA Practice at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg and fellow of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR).

The readiness (or lack thereof) for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in Africa, a rising tide of crypto fraud, the development of digital currencies in Africa like central bank digital currencies and stablecoins and how laws and policies are slowly evolving to adapt to rapid advances in digitisation are discussed.
20 Aug 2021 English South Africa Business

Other recent episodes

The jagged frontier of AI and law

The recent withdrawal of South Africa’s Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy by the minister of communications and digital technologies was an extraordinary and embarrassing saga. The very document meant to govern AI in South Africa had been compiled with the assistance of generative AI, and contained, on the minister’s own…
14 May 23 min

Expect an inclusive growth balancing act in budget 2026

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Charles de Wet, a Tax Executive at ENS. Charles has more than three decades of experience advising local and international clients across multiple industries. Notably, he was part of the team at the South African Revenue Service that implemented…
30 Jan 22 min

AI ethics and the law: A wake-up call for South Africa’s legal profession

In the first edition of Business Law Focus for 2026, host Evan Pickworth interviews Johan Steyn, a human-centred AI advocate, thought leader, and founder of AIforBusiness.net. While there is plenty of bluster and bravado about AI, there is also genuine concern, especially for lawyers who use it as a shortcut…
16 Jan 10 min

Navigating Tariff Turbulence

In this edition of Business Law Focus, host Evan Pickworth interviews Avishkar Harriparsad, Partner, PKF Durban, about a new era of tariff turbulence, what businesses can expect, and how to navigate the choppy waters.
19 Nov 2025 11 min