Are listed banks still a viable investment option?

an important consideration when weighing up the investment viability of different commercial banks is that not all JSE-listed lenders are purely South African. Similarly, not all locally listed banks are purely involved in the business of banking. Consider, for example, Discovery, which has a large insurance and medical aid business, and Sasfin with its large stockbroking and wealth management businesses.

Given that not all South African banks are listed – think African Bank – making a comparison between and across SA banks and understanding their respective impairment