To continue meeting the needs of its customers, select Standard Bank outlets across South Africa have extended their banking hours from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and from 7am to 1pm on Saturdays. During the extended hours, select sales, services and enquiries will be available. ...

Standard Bank South Africa will buck industry trends by not increasing its pricing structure in January 2012 for its personal banking customers and making only marginal increases for business banking clients....

The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (SBSA) today announced the successful securing of a USD275 million loan facility from a consortium of Taiwanese and International Banks. Speaking from Taipei, Craig Bond, Chief Executive of Standard Bank China said, “This three-year term loan facility is to be used for general corporate purposes by SBSA with a primary focus, but not limited to, trade related financing.” ...

A project in Mexico to reduce the impact of poverty through distribution of energy efficient light bulbs to 12-million of the poorest homes has secured carbon finance through the signing of a royalty agreement between Cool nrg and the Mexican government....

Standard Bank Group's expertise in the commodities sector has been recognised by an award from the Russian Bullion Market Association for Best Foreign Bank in the Russian precious metals market. ...

Credit and cheque cards have traditionally been the choice when making online or remote purchases. Now, a new patented service called payD allows debit card users to also make remote or online purchases. ...

The partnership between Standard Bank Group and CarbonSoft, the London-based open source carbon-trading platform, have announced their first Asia Pacific Programme of Activities (PoA) for Light Emiting Diode (LED) lighting projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)....

Standard Bank Group has added a 79th currency to its forex product suite: the Southern Sudanese pound (SSP). This follows the news that South Sudan gained independence from Sudan, on 9 July 2011. ...

Standard Bank Group is pleased to announce the successful completion of a senior secured syndicated financing worth US$85million for Helios Towers Tanzania Ltd (“HTT”), a subsidiary of Helios Towers Africa Ltd (“HTA”), to finance the next phase of its network of telecommunications towers across Tanzania....

Standard Bank Group has been listed as a best performer on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index in the low environmental impact category. It is one of only six organisations to achieve this ranking for five consecutive years....

Africa accounts for less than 2% of the 3 395 projects registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), compared with 46% in China....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has been named 2011 Bank of the Year in Africa and Best Bank in four African countries by The Banker, the leading journal of the global banking industry....

Standard Bank Group's insurance offerings to South Africans has breached the 4-million policy mark, offering insurance cover for household, credit life, funeral cover and homeowners insurance. Standard Bank pays out more than R5-billion in claims on credit life and funeral policies alone annually....

Following up on its enablement through carbon credits of South Africa's first mass greening project - the equipping of 70 000 low-income households in Nelson Mandela Bay (in Eastern Cape province) with solar water heating systems - Standard Bank Group is to make available some R22-million for use by local service providers and manufacturers of the systems to assist with continued roll-out of the project....

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has officially opened its first representative office in Africa, aimed at deepening the ties between China and Africa....

Standard Bank Group has been acknowledged as the most trusted company in South Africa in the annual Ask Afrika Trust Barometer Survey....

With food expected to become the “new oil” of the 21st century, Africa's agricultural output is set for explosive growth in coming decades. as the continent's largely untapped potential gains elevated attention, writes Standard Bank Group research analyst Simon Freemantle in his latest report in a series about key trends that will change Africa....

Standard Bank Group has incorporated the Tanzanian market into its Regional Custody Network. The development of the custody product in Tanzania reflects growing investment interest in the market driven by Initial Public Offerings....

Standard Bank Group is facilitating grants to numerous projects across Africa. Projects range from providing poor women in Burkina Faso with non-fossil fuelled cooking stoves, setting up urban composting in Mozambique, rolling out solar heaters in Mauritius to financing a small hydro-electric scheme and a wind energy facility in Kenya....

The South African securitisation market is expected to continue on an upward trend in 2012, with total issuance volumes anticipated at about R25 billion, as investor confidence in the instrument returns. ...

Standard Bank Group has underwritten approximately R12-billion of debt on various wind and solar mandates....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has partnered the Namibian government in the issue of its debut US$500-million, 10-year Eurobond, as sub-Saharan sovereigns increasingly tap into international capital markets. ...

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has entered into two five-year loan deals totaling US$130-million, which will help boost the Sierra Leone economy. It has backed African Minerals Ltd's (AML) development of the first phase of the Tonkolili iron ore project, which in the past few days saw the first shipment of iron ore from the mine to China successfully completed....

Standard Bank Group has successfully contracted with, what is expected to be, the first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in Zimbabwe. The project for Sable Chemicals, a fertilizer manufacturer, will be one of only a handful of nitrous oxide abatement projects on the African continent. ...

Mobile phone subscriptions, internet and social media usage in Africa are expected to continue surging to record levels in the next five years. This will occur as the continent's people vigorously embrace communication technologies, writes Standard Bank Group (SBG) research analyst Simon Freemantle in his latest in a series of reports about key trends that will change Africa. ...

Standard Bank Group continues to support the South African housing market by financing almost half of all new home loans originated by local banks in the past year. This has helped provide much needed stability and liquidity to the local residential property market....

Standard Bank Jersey Limited and Standard Bank Isle of Man Limited, members of Standard Bank Group, have launch the latest in a series of award-winning structured products. Quantum PLUS 7 is designed to return the initial capital deposited along with a competitive rate of interest on half the deposit while the other half provides for exposure to stock market growth....

Standard Bank Group has been ranked South Africa's “greenest” company in the 2011 Newsweek Green Rankings. ...

Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Metro University (NMMU) has awarded Standard Bank Group, the tender to provide transactional banking services to the university for the next five years. This South African university is giving the bank the opportunity to strengthen its presence in the province where it was founded. ...

Standard Bank Group, in partnership with Pareto Commodities LLC (Houston), is pleased to announce the closing of a USD15-million convertible debenture financing with Pacific Iron, as part of a larger USD44.3-million financing. The debentures are convertible into 15-million common shares of Standard Bank Group's election or upon an initial public offering of Pacific Iron and have a tenor of up to three years. This currently represents approximately a 14.38% equity interest on a fully diluted basis....

More than half of Africa's population will be living in urban areas by 2030 as the continent's economy continues to advance, according to Standard Bank Group (SBG) research analyst Simon Freemantle....

Standard Bank Group has received the Leadership in Arts Award at the CNBC All Africa Business Leader Awards. In addition, Sim Tshabalala, Deputy Chief Excutive of the group and Chief Executive of Standard Bank South Africa, was presented with the Business Success in Africa Award....

Private equity funds are expected to play an increasing role in investments flows into Africa in the next 12 months as they seek new growth opportunities outside the depressed markets of developed countries, according to Brian Marshall, Director of Diversified Lending and Leverage at Standard Bank Group....

Standard Bank Group expects growth in credit extension by South African banks to households and businesses to slow in coming months due to a deteriorating economic growth outlook. ...

Nigeria's economic vibrancy is impressive, reflected in the economic growth that Nigeria continues to record. ...

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has affirmed its status as one of Africa's leading corporate and investment banks, having being acknowledged as the Best Investment Bank in Africa for 2011 in the annual EMEA Finance magazine awards. In addition, Standard Bank Group won EMEA Finance awards as the Best Investment Bank in eight other African countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland and Tanzania....

Sub-Saharan Africa's population is expected to hit the 2-billion mark in the next four decades, which will result in more than a fifth of the world population being African, according to Standard Bank Group (SBG) research analyst Simon Freemantle. ...

Xiangguang Copper Co Ltd, China's biggest privately held copper smelter, has been accorded LME registration, becoming the first private Chinese copper producer listed on the world's largest and most well-known metals exchange market. Standard Bank Group (SBG) has sponsored the registration of Xiangguang's copper cathode with the LME, making it the eighth Chinese copper company registered on the LME....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) is providing an additional R1.5-billion facility to Old Mutual Finance, Old Mutual's consumer finance business. Standard Bank Group is sole debt underwriter in the deal. ...

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has provided a US$500m bridge finance facility to Konkola Copper Mines plc (KCM) that will be used to refinance shareholder loans from parent Vedanta Resources plc. In addition, Standard Bank Group is also mandated to arrange and underwrite a US$700m term loan facility to fund investment that will turn the Zambian copper miner into one of the world's leading copper producers, and provide further impetus for growth in the Zambian economy. ...

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has scooped a series of accolades, including African Bank of the Year, in the current financial sector awards season that coincided with the annual meetings of International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington DC....

Standard Bank Group has successfully established a R10-billion securitisation programme called SuperDrive Investments for BMW Financial Services South Africa. It simultaneously issued the first tranche of R2-billion to local institutional investors earlier this month....

The Nigerian town of Ajao Estate has become home to Standard Bank Group's (SBG) 500th branch in Africa (outside of South Africa) as the group's growth strategy gains further traction across the continent....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) signed two agreements that further entrenchtheir already successful business cooperation. The agreements underscore theincreasing internationalization of the banking sector in China and the key role played by partnerships, such as the long-standing cooperation between Standard Bank Group and ICBC. ...

Standard Bank Group now provides South Africa's grain farmers with greater flexibility regarding price hedging. This is done by providing production loans against the cession of price contracts negotiated by farmers with reputable off-takers rather than insisting that farmers hedge through Standard Bank Group....

Standard Bank Group says that the downward pressure on global economic growth will almost certainly impact the growth outlook for the African continent. ...

Sugar production in many African countriesis gaining momentum, driven by increasing local demand, export demand, firmer prices and favourable European Union tariffs, says Standard Bank Group's Head of Investment Banking for Africa, Helmut Engelbrecht. ...

Standard Bank Group Chief Executive Jacko Maree has committed 10% of his taxable income towards helping needy black scholars receive an excellent education. He will be doing this every year, at least for as long as the current personal tax structure remains broadly unaltered....

The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) has committed US$15-million of senior secured debt to Tower Power Abeokuta Limited to facilitate the construction of a 12MW gas-fired combined heat and power station in Abeokuta, Nigeria....

The steady internationalisation of China's renminbi will see at least 40%, or US$100-billion, of China's trade with Africa being made using the currency unit by 2015, according to research just published by Standard Bank Group....

Standard Bank Group has won the contract to bank yet another of South Africa's municipalities. It is Mogale City, which is one of the largest in Gauteng province....

Standard Bank Group has launched its Africa commodity exchange traded note (ETN) based on the developed Standard Bank Africa Commodity Index. The commodity ETN, which is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, will give investors access to the underlying Africa Commodity Index and with that the performance of four commodity sub-sectors, namely base metals, precious metals, energy and agriculture....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has turned the corner and delivered positive earnings growth for the six month period ended 30 June 2011. The group generated headline earnings of R6,6 billion, up 11% on the corresponding period last year, and headline earnings per share of 418,4 cents were up 10%....

The Government of Tanzania has secured a US$250-million seven-year loan facility from a consortium of local and global financiers, led by Stanbic Bank Tanzania and its parent bank, Standard Bank Group (SBG), to fund development projects such as road and rural electrification....

Standard Bank Group and its Argentinean partners have signed an agreement with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), which is a 20% shareholder in Standard Bank Group, for the sale of a majority stake in Standard Bank Argentina (SBA)....

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) completed its debut borrowing, a US$50-million bilateral loan facility with Standard Bank Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group....

One of the most important areas where China is set to play a bigger role is in the construction and infrastructure sectors in Africa, according to Jeremy Stevens, Standard Bank Group's Beijing-based economist. The nature and driver of construction will change as highly-skilled Chinese companies will increasingly capitalize on their ability to provide cost-effective infrastructure solutions....

Mozambique's Moatize coal basin in the country's remote Tete province is considered the last untapped great coal reserve in the world, but the first great investment opportunity will be financing the infrastructure needed to get the coal to market....

Standard Bank Group has again been named as Africa's top bank in the The Banker magazine's 2011 rankings of the world's top banks by their Tier 1 capital....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has advanced the City of Tshwane a R1-billion loan to fund the city's capital expansion projects for the 2010/11 financial year. This loan is in line with Standard Bank Group's support for public sector investment in infrastructure....

Standard Bank Group has appointed Marcel Mballa-Ekobena as East Africa Head of Equity Research at SBG Securities. This is a further move by Standard Bank Group to strengthen itsequity research franchise....

Standard Bank Group was a leading bank and joint bookrunner in the foreign placement of US$250-million through the issuance of 144A/Reg. S bonds, by the power distributing company Centrais Elétricas do Pará S.A. (“Celpa”), a Rede Energia group company....

Standard Bank Group will increase its lending to Uganda's agriculture sector this year and ensure that this adds to the US$25-million already made available by financial institutions....

Stanbic Bank in Ghana, a member of the Standard Bank Group (SBG), has closed a US$60-million senior revolving loandeal with Gold Fields Ghana Limited for the fleet replacement for its mines at Tarkwa and Abosso. The loan facility has a life span of three years and it is the single largest transaction closed locally by a mining company within the last couple of years....

Speaking at Standard Bank Group's African Investors Conference, Mr Lamido Sanusi, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that the one-year restriction associated with the holding period of the Certificate of Capital Importation (CCI) in the fixed income market will be lifted on the 1 July 2011....

Standard Bank Group expects to grant personal and business loans of more than R50-billion in South Africa this year as consumers and companies cautiously regain their appetite for credit, and as the group continues a concerted effort to grow responsible lending....

Standard Bank Offshore, a member of Standard Bank Group, has improved its international banking services for expatriates with the addition of an Australian dollar (AUD) version of its popular Optimum banking account....

Standard Bank Group has been named best trade bank in sub-Saharan Africa and best trade bank in South Africa in a poll of businesses trading into and out of Africa....

Standard Bank Plc (a member of Standard Bank Group), working in partnership with Pareto Commodities LLC (Houston), has provided a USD37.5-million financing package to Central Brazil Coöperatief U.A. ("Central") and its subsidiaries. ...

Standard Bank Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group, acted as mandated lead arranger for a €30-million secured term loan facility for AY Marka Mağazacılık A.Ş. ('AY Marka')....

Following the launch of SBG Securities in January 2011, Standard Bank Group is pleased to announce a number of key cash equity hires to develop international client coverage and trading from London. As Standard Bank Group continues to add emerging market cash equity product to the existing global market product suite, sales, trading and natural resource capability are key....

Frontier Carbon, the London-based green asset developer, today announced the formation of CarbonSoft Corporation, a carbon trading platform with the single aim of putting the carbon market in the hands of entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations and companies in Africa and Asia....

Standard Bank South Africa, a member of Standard Bank Group, has signed a USD285-million 3-year term syndicated loan facility in Frankfurt, Germany. The transaction was launched at USD250-million and was oversubscribed by USD35-million, allowing for a final loan facility of USD285-million....

South African investors have direct access to investment opportunities in companies across the African continent. The Standard Bank Africa Equity Index offers investors access to listed companies active across Africa - excluding South Africa....

As the only African bank operating in Argentina, Standard Bank Group's agricultural team in Argentina is ideally positioned to assist its agricultural equipment manufacturer clients to do business not only in South Africa but the rest of Africa. Standard Bank Group has helped bring a delegation of 25 Argentinian manufacturers to Nampo, the largest agricultural show in Africa and in the southern hemisphere....

Standard Bank Group and Oriel Securities, a leading independent corporate and institutional stockbroking and advisory firm in the United Kingdom, will be working together to assist mining, oil and gas companies with finance and transactions that country....

The appetite of local and international independent power producers (IPPs) to play a part in South Africa's multibillion-rand renewable energy sector remains strong in spite of recent delays in opening the bidding process....

The Republic of Senegal has issued its debut 144A/RegS benchmark sovereign bond. The US$500-million 10-year new issue carries a coupon of 8.75% and is rated B1 by Moodys and B+ by Standard & Poors....

SBG Securities, Standard Bank Group's equity broking operation in South Africa, has expanded its equity research franchise with a series of new appointments. These appointments will boost the equity research offering in South Africa and assist in the coordination of pan-African, European, Middle East, Africa and otheremerging markets sector coverage for Standard Bank Group (SBG)....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has been named best bank in four African countries in the prestigious Global Finance survey of the best emerging markets banks on the continent, affirming the group's status as an established leader in providing on-the-ground services in key markets....

The PTA Bank debut $300-million Eurobond has been awarded Bond Deal of the Year in Africa by The Banker magazine. This was the only corporate Eurobond from sub-Saharan Africa in 2010 and the first since 2007....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has been ranked as the top empowerment company in South Africa by Empowerdex, one of the country's leading empowerment verification agencies. Standard Bank Group achieved an overall BEE rating of 92.83%....

Standard Bank Group (SBG) has won emeafinance's best oil and gas deal in Africa award for the bank's support of PA Resources' development of the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville's Azurite Field....

Standard Bank Group is set to benefit from more dynamic business interactions between Africa and the world's emerging economic powers, with South Africa's inclusion in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a further testament to the acceptance of the country's strategic position as gateway to Africa....

Standard Bank Group's (SBG) expertise in facilitating and executing infrastructure transactions has been recognised with two awards presented by Infrastructure Journal, a leading trade publication....

There are huge opportunities for banks to be involved in the transformation of South Africa's agricultural sector by providing the necessary finance to small holder farmers and advice to established farmers seeking black economic empowerment (BEE) partners....

The investment banking capabilities of Standard Bank Group (SBG) as a leading natural resources bank have been acknowledged with two award wins from Trade Finance magazine....

Standard Bank Group's commitment to working with African businesses to facilitate their domestic and international growth plans has been acknowledged with three awards from Global Finance magazine....

Standard Bank Group has successfully issued a R850-million, 10-year bond for the AA-rated City of Johannesburg, South Africa, at JIBAR (Johannesburg inter-bank agreed rate) plus 195 basis points....

Africa should brace itself for a decline in aid and trade flows with Japan following the devastating earthquake last week that hit the world's third-largest economy, according to a Standard Bank Group report....

Standard Bank Group has put together financing worth US$40-million for Helios Towers Ghana Limited to finance the next phase of its network of telecommunications towers across Ghana....

The increasing competition between China and the USA to be Africa's leading trading and development partner presents the continent with better strategic choices, according to Standard Bank Group's latest economic strategy report. ...

Standard Bank Group acted as lead arranger for BWP1.2-billion long-term bank loan facility concluded recently for Morupule Colliery Limited in Botswana. The funds are to be used towards the colliery's BWP1.7-billion expansion project ...

Standard Bank Group is to sell its 36.4% shareholding of Troika Dialog, a leading independent full service investment bank and asset management firm in Russia....

Current low interest rates and the slight weakening of the South African rand are creating the ideal opportunity for farmers in South Africa to undertake capital expansion....

One of the largest South African debt underwriting deals in more than a year is the conclusion of Aspens' Aus$900-million acquisition of the Australian pharmaceutical business of Sigma Limited....

Standard Bank Group has refined its strategy and reallocated responsibilities between its three deputy group chief executives, Ben Kruger, Sim Tshabalala and Peter Wharton-Hood....

More than 800 000 anti-mosquito bed nets have been distributed in Zambia this week: three months ahead of schedule and before the peak of the deadly rainy season when the risk of malaria is even higher....

Crude oil prices will remain within the $80-$100 range for much of this year, underpinned by a favourable global monetary environment and a tightening oil market. This is according to special report released today by Standard Bank Group at the International Petroleum Week conference in London....

Standard Bank Group has scooped a global award and three regional awards in the prestigious annual Global Finance (www.www.gfmag.com) survey for its treasury and cash management services....

Standard Bank Group has won four awards inthe emeafinance's Achievement Awards for 2010, recognising the bank's successes in a range of sectors in the region over the past year. The awards highlight leading banks across the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region....

Standard Bank Group has won four accolades at Project Finance magazine's 2010 Deal of the Year Awards, recognising the bank's credentials in the sector and successes over the past year. The awards celebrate the best European and African deals....

The copper mining industry will not meet global demand for 2011 or next year because demand is growing faster than supply. The copper market is facing a widening deficit until new supply comes on stream in late 2013....

China is now a clear leader in the race for Africa's resources andcan be expected to continue developing these interests for the mutual benefit of both Africa as well as China's surging economy....

Although the worst of the recession is over, South Africans are still cautious about spending on their credit cards which they used conservatively during the festive season, according to Standard Bank Group....

The announcement that Standard Bank Group has been independently ranked as the most valuable banking brand in South Africa is a tribute to the efforts of our employees who constantly strive to move our customers forward, says Sarah-Anne Orphanides, the group's global marketing head....

Standard Bank Group expects to see an increase in the number of offshore bond issues emerging from South Africa in 2011. This as the country's international prestige is enhanced by its recent BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) membership as well as the high regard in which South Africa's offshore debt issues are held....

Standard Bank, Africa's largest bank by assets, acted as the sole financial adviser to the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) on its $1.8 billion acquisition of 100% ownership of seven power transmission companies in Brazil....