South Africa, April 23 -- "Consumers are going into 2026 with more tools and a stronger financial behaviour, and as a result, you will see a trade-off," says Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery SA and Discovery Bank.

He was commenting on this at the presentation of the fourth edition of the Visa Discovery Bank Spend Trend 2026 Report this morning, 23 May, in Sandton.

The report highlights trends going into 2026, such as global energy disruptions as well as global trade shifts and tariff pressures. Both will put pressure on the South African consumer.

A resilient SA consumer

However, Hylton says the report shows that South African consumers will continue to manage their spend goals through this volatile period.

"There's no doubt that we ...