Posts by Alastair Tempest
The EU’s Digital Services Act
The DSA came into effect last month. It applies specific requirements to ecommerce operators in the EU. The Act defines ecommerce/internet providers into a number of categories. The major platforms…
Read MoreBig Tech News
Apple sent waves across the fintech landscape last month with the launch of its new savings account, which saw deposits reach nearly $1bn over the first 4 days. Savings are…
Read MoreMiscellaneous
Interesting Data Privacy Case – Transfers of Personal Data, the EU versus the US. Meta has been fined a record €1.2bn by the Irish Data Protection Commission for not complying…
Read MoreSustainability, Reducing the Use of Plastics in Packaging and Action on Climate and Trade
Recently Takealot announced that it would be using sustainable packaging. In this decision the South African ecommerce company was following other market leaders, such as Amazon. A lot is being…
Read MoreAfrica’s Digital Trade is Low, but Overall Growth is Good
Trade in digitally delivered services boomed during COVID, with global exports growing by 15% on average in 2020-21. The newly released WTO-OECD Balanced Trade in Services report reveals digitally delivered…
Read MoreThe EU Plans to Do Away with its de minimis Customs Benefit: EFA is Greatly Concerned
EFA has held a meeting with our European colleagues at the Ecommerce Europe to discuss the new EU proposals on customs. The draft circulated by the European Commission proposes that…
Read MoreTralac Annual Conference on the AfCFTA
Tralac (the Trade and Law Research body) held its annual conference in Rwanda in mid-May. The AfCFTA Secretary-General, HE Wamkele Mene (the S-G), was the opening speaker alongside the Rwandan…
Read MoreOpportunities, events and publications
Tralac’s Annual Conference, Kigali, 18-19 May. The theme this year is “A Practical and Realistic Narrative for the AfCFTA”. EFA will be participating. For more details see Tralac’s website https://bit.ly/tralacConf2023 UNCTAD…
Read MoreThe Cost of Living Around the Continent
Travelling around Africa and in need of some insight into the cost of living in your country(ies) of destination? Numbeo, a data and research platform, determines the overall cost of…
Read MoreThe SA Competition Commission Delays Publishing the Recommendations of its Market Inquiry on Intermediation Platforms
This Newsletter has reported on this Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry (OIPMI) since it was launched in 2020. On 18 April the Proposed Regulations and Guidelines were supposed to have been published,…
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