The shifting banking needs of small businesses are the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight. Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Norman Nyawo, head of merchant solutions for business and commercial banking at Standard Bank South Africa. The banker says small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) now expect an end-to-end business partner offering integrated platforms that handle bookings, stock and inventory management, payroll and point-of-sale operations alongside traditional banking. Join the discussion: As such, a key part of Standard Bank’s strategy is taking administrative stress from business owners so they can focus on core operations.While cash still dominates informal transactions, digital payment adoption is growing rapidly via mobile wallets, tap-to-pay, and QR codes.Nyawo highlighted the importance of reducing the friction between cash and digital payments. Put simply, merchants should be able to accept whatever method of payment a customer uses. Rather than completely eliminating cash, the goal is reducing friction, lowering transaction costs and enabling interoperability through initiatives like PayShap to allow instant, real-time settlements.During the discussion, Nyawo details SME expectations on what to expect from their bank; digital payments innovations that are moving the needle for SMEs; and the pain points that Standard Bank is currently working to solve for local merchants. Producer: Demi BuzoBusiness Day Spotlight is an Arena Podcasts Production.