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Africa trade and investment

We provide international trade solutions to enable optimal foreign trade and minimise logistical challenges for African businesses. Our clients benefit from our international payment expertise, trade finance services, and performance and payment risk mitigation products.

Our focus areas
Client solutions

Supporting our clients through financial products, cross-border trade solutions and digital innovations

We connect clients with vetted suppliers of goods and provide a single point of contact to assist with everything needed to execute their cross-border trade from start to finish.

5_AfricaTrade-14formats
47 000 
African businesses funded with trade finance 
Launched the Aroko cloud-based
solution, and processed over
10 500 transactions worth
nearly R77 billion, with an
average transaction value of
R7.3 million

 

Africa-China trade solutions

Working to encourage trade and investment in the China-Africa corridor

Our Africa-China Import Solution offers a database of over 10 000 vetted exporters and suppliers to meet the needs of African importers, while our Africa-China Export Solution conducts digital matchmaking and matched 248 export businesses from 11 African countries with Chinese importers in 2022. Our Trade Club and Trade Suite platforms provide dedicated digital support to meet the trading needs of businesses throughout Africa, from finding suppliers to managing cross-border payments and finance.

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21 800 members active on the Trade Club
Alliance platform
Supported over 42 000 businesses with trade solutions 

 

International payment solutions

Enabling clients to make secure, complaint international payments

In 2022, our impact and export solutions we facilitated R436 billion in outward international Payments.

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Expanded digital solutions

Supporting the digitisation of trade in African markets

We’re focused on unlocking Africa’s potential through digital trade services and innovative technologies such as data science, AI and blockchain. We’re co-ordinating these efforts with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) steering committee to provide a clear view of digital trade implementations.

1_AfricaTrade-14formats
  • Client solutions
  • Africa-China trade solutions
  • International payment solutions
  • Expanded digital solutions

Supporting our clients through financial products, cross-border trade solutions and digital innovations

We connect clients with vetted suppliers of goods and provide a single point of contact to assist with everything needed to execute their cross-border trade from start to finish.

5_AfricaTrade-14formats
47 000 
African businesses funded with trade finance 
Launched the Aroko cloud-based
solution, and processed over
10 500 transactions worth
nearly R77 billion, with an
average transaction value of
R7.3 million

 

Working to encourage trade and investment in the China-Africa corridor

Our Africa-China Import Solution offers a database of over 10 000 vetted exporters and suppliers to meet the needs of African importers, while our Africa-China Export Solution conducts digital matchmaking and matched 248 export businesses from 11 African countries with Chinese importers in 2022. Our Trade Club and Trade Suite platforms provide dedicated digital support to meet the trading needs of businesses throughout Africa, from finding suppliers to managing cross-border payments and finance.

3_AfricaTrade-14formats
21 800 members active on the Trade Club
Alliance platform
Supported over 42 000 businesses with trade solutions 

 

Enabling clients to make secure, complaint international payments

In 2022, our impact and export solutions we facilitated R436 billion in outward international Payments.

2_AfricaTrade-14formats

Supporting the digitisation of trade in African markets

We’re focused on unlocking Africa’s potential through digital trade services and innovative technologies such as data science, AI and blockchain. We’re co-ordinating these efforts with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) steering committee to provide a clear view of digital trade implementations.

1_AfricaTrade-14formats
International payments and forex
Award-winning mobile forex solutions
Buy, sell, send and spend foreign currency anywhere in the world with the Shyft Global Wallet app, available to Standard Bank and non-Standard Bank clients.
Shyft image_award winning forex

Africa-China import solutions

Helping African businesses to import and export internationally

Standard Bank’s Africa China Import Solution supports African importers to source and validate quality goods, safely and efficiently, from the most competitive suppliers in China. The solution is available across 14 of our African markets, at no cost, apart from the fees associated with conducting an international trade via a letter of credit.

Luthando Vuba
Luthando Vuba
HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE, STANDARD BANK

Through this network, our vision is to create lasting opportunities for aspiring contractors, thus developing technical capacity, skills and sustainable economic growth and value creation over the long term. We’re also helping our clients access green energy and reduce their carbon emissions, in line with our ambition to support clients to transition toward a low carbon future.

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