Nothing compounds like a good partnership

Some relationships make sense on paper. Others make sense because the people involved believe in many of the same things. Our relationship with the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) falls firmly into the second category.

CN&CO has worked closely with the FIA for a number of years, supporting its work through content, communication, events and industry conversations. It’s a relationship we value enormously, not least because the FIA represents a part of the financial services industry that has always been close to our hearts: the intermediary.

The FIA’s purpose is to guard, develop, promote and represent professional advisory and intermediary businesses in South Africa. For us, that creates plenty of common ground. We believe strongly in the value of advice, the importance of relationships and the role that good communication plays in bringing people and ideas together.

One of the most visible expressions of our relationship is FIA Insight magazine.

We have just produced our second issue of FIA Insight for 2026 – the Q3 edition – working alongside the FIA to bring together perspectives from across the advice, insurance and financial services community. FIA Insight is the association’s intermediary publication, providing a platform for industry leaders to share ideas, challenge conventional thinking and explore the issues affecting advisers and their clients.

Read the latest FIA Insight and browse previous editions

Producing a publication like FIA Insight is about much more than filling pages. It means finding the conversations worth having, working with contributors to draw out their thinking and creating something that reflects the breadth and depth of the intermediary community.

And those conversations are about to continue in person.

Nothing compounds like trust

The FIA Advice Summit takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, under the theme “Provenance: Nothing Compounds Like Trust”.

It’s a theme that feels particularly relevant right now. As technology changes the way advice is delivered and artificial intelligence puts almost unlimited information within reach, knowledge alone is no longer the differentiator it once was. Experience, judgement, reputation and trust matter enormously.

The Summit will explore this from several angles, including AI and the advice practice, climate risk, healthcare, COFI and the regulatory outlook, as well as the enduring importance of human judgement. The programme brings together advisers, regulators and senior industry figures for a day focused firmly on the future of the profession.

CN&CO will be there, and the conversation won’t end when everyone leaves Sandton. We’ll be covering the Summit in the Q4/2026 edition of FIA Insight, capturing some of the ideas, people and discussions that emerge from the day.

FIA CEO Lizelle van der Merwe sets the scene beautifully in her Q3 FIA Insight article, “Thoughts from our CEO: the provenance of trust”.

Read Lizelle’s article: Thoughts from our CEO: the provenance of trust

Then come and be part of the conversation yourself.

Partnership with purpose

Our work with the FIA also reminds us why partnerships matter in this industry.

The intermediary community sits at the centre of an extraordinary network of insurers, underwriting managers, technology providers, professional services businesses and other organisations. FIA partnerships give businesses an opportunity to participate in that community and contribute to the conversations shaping its future.

For CN&CO, helping those relationships come to life is an important part of what we do. It might happen through an article, a magazine, a podcast, an event or simply by putting the right people in the same room. The format changes, but the principle remains remarkably consistent: meaningful relationships create opportunities for everyone involved.

Perhaps that is why this year’s Advice Summit theme resonates so strongly with us.

Trust is built over time. It comes from showing up, contributing, sharing knowledge and doing what you say you will do. And when that happens consistently, the value of a relationship really does compound.

We’re proud of ours with the FIA and excited about where it goes next.

If your organisation is keen to investigate the benefits of becoming an FIA partner and joining the conversation, contact us today. We’d love to chat.