Passkeys gain ground, but South Africa's device gap remains a hurdle

South African banks face device compatibility and digital-readiness gaps that slow passkey rollouts at scale. The country recorded 110,074 digital banking crime incidents in 2025, with client losses up 29% year on year. Entersekt's Arno van der Merwe recommends a tiered approach: passkeys for ready customers and moving others off SMS OTPs to app-based authentication.

• 110,074 digital banking crime incidents in South Africa in 2025
• Reported client losses rose 29% year on year
• AI-assisted phishing hits 54% click-through vs 12% for traditional campaigns
• Tiered rollout proposed: passkeys plus app-based auth instead of SMS OTP