The awards celebrate emerging African companies that have created tech-enabled solutions spanning across all industries, and DigiCash has been selected from more than 80 applicants to be included in the Top 20 finalists.

“These businesses’ ability to inspire others and ignite a business from the startup phase to leader in industry is a significant achievement,” said Danie Fölscher, PwC partner in charge of the Western Cape region, of the finalists.

The overall winner of the 2015 Vision to Reality Awards Programme will attend and present at the global PwC Accelerator conference where PwC's Accelerator team showcases the flagship companies selected by PwC's Accelerator worldwide to enhance their visibility and credibility, boost their professional reputation and introduce them to potential partners that can help them in their internationalisation strategy.

DigiCash chief executive Paul Brown described the announcement as “just reward for the efforts put in by the DigiCash team”.

“For us this is a tremendous achievement, as it recognises the fantastic work the team is doing. Obviously it shows just how relevant the growing disruption in the payments space is to South African businesses and the tech community,” Brown said. “What it also highlights are the exciting possibilities within the fintech space, which bodes extremely well for the future.”

Within a relatively short time, DigiCash has grown to become one of southern Africa’s leading third-party processors – an achievement made all the more notable for the fact fierce competition that exists in the region.

“We believe our track record of excellent growth and our attention to our customers’ needs have made people take note. It’s a great honour to be recognised by the programme, especially since it’s the first time we’ve entered.”

Fölscher said globally, there was an increasing focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.

“Entrepreneurship must be acknowledged and supported across the African continent to address the issue of poverty and joblessness on the continent. These innovative emerging companies are disruptive and are highly scalable businesses. They require professional services to add value to their goals and vision, and ensure they are sustainable,” Fölscher said.

“This year’s finalists were chosen from the most dynamic, enterprising and successful businesses. It is encouraging that entrepreneurs are taking pride in the businesses that they have helped to create and transform. It is critical for governments to acknowledge and support these as they play an important role in the economy by creating jobs and stimulating growth.”

The winners of the PwC Vision to Reality Awards Programme will be named on Friday, 28 August.

For more information, visit the DigiCash website.