News
To make the decisions that drive Africa’s growth, you need to be informed. Get all the banking and financial news from across Africa and around the world.
Explore who we are as Standard Bank Group, discover our operations, and witness the essence of our business as we redefine financial landscapes for Africa and her people.
From the core banking solutions to platforms and partnerships, our focus is on understanding the needs of our clients and delivering services that enable their growth.
Members of the executive team provide insight into the strategies that underpin the group's 2028 targets.
We are committed to driving Africa's growth in a sustainable and responsible manner wherever we operate. Our focus is on creating positive impact for our clients, our employees, our communities, and the environment.
Our sponsorships enable us to support sustainable causes and work with partners who share our commitment to connecting with clients, staff, stakeholders communities and societies to drive Africa's sustainable growth.
To make the decisions that drive Africa’s growth, you need to be informed. Get all the banking and financial news from across Africa and around the world.
With El Niño conditions now established, latest climate risk assessments suggest Southern African agriculture is better prepared for the period ahead.
Standard Bank is strengthening its support for African businesses seeking to participate in regional and global trade by bringing together financial solutions, market access, logistics expertise and practical export support.
Rising savings, increasing cross-border payment activity and growing participation in formal financial systems are emerging as some of the clearest indicators yet of substantial pent-up demand for economic activity across the continent.
Written by Bill Blackie, Chief Executive of Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Group
The Standard Bank Group delivered a solid performance for the six months ended 30 June 2026, reporting record headline earnings of R26.1 billion, up 10% period-on-period, and a higher return on equity (ROE) of 19.8%. This is comfortably within the Group's 2028 ROE target range of 18% to 22%.
Standard Bank has been recognised as South Africa’s most valuable financial services brand and the country’s second most valuable brand overall in the 2026 Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands ranking.
Standard Bank is accelerating its financing of renewables to catalyse Africa’s energy transition, its financing of renewable power generation exceeding its non-renewable energy power generation by a ratio of 4.9 to 1.
Bill Blackie is Chief Executive Officer of Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Group Ltd.
Although small and medium businesses (SMEs) account for 95% of all registered businesses and contribute about 50% to the total GDP of sub-Saharan African countries, entrepreneurs still face major obstacles to growth and prosperity. Addressing their needs is essential to creating a prosperous Africa, says Standard Bank.