Having taken note of the formidable array of speakers who are to take to the podium during the course of the day, I have taken the liberty to reduce the scope of my remarks by focusing on the situation in South Africa and the prospects for the Southern African region. Others will, no doubt, enlighten us regarding developments elsewhere. 2.
The role of Central Banks and major banks  South Africa currently has 20 registered banks, 14 local branches of foreign banks and 46 representative offices of foreign banks, supervision of banks being the responsibility of the Registrar of Banks, a constituent component of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).