Different banks, but the same problem: how to buy or move forex without having to go into a branch.

Standard Bank launched a forex app earlier this year, and Absa is putting the fi nishing touches on one of its own. Both apps modernise the process, which, until now, involved a lengthy visit to a branch. Margins in the forex business were also being compressed, probably because clients were becoming more sophisticated: there are plenty of startups that will move your money around the world for almost nothing.