About us

Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets and earnings.

Our strategy is to build the leading African financial services organisation using all our competitive advantages to the full. We will focus on delivering superior sustainable shareholder value by serving the needs of our customers through first-class, on-the-ground operations in chosen countries in Africa.

We will also connect other selected emerging markets to Africa and to each other, applying our sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, globally. We operate in 18 countries on the African continent, including South Africa, and 12 countries outside Africa with an emerging market focus.

Standard Bank has a 150 year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s. Africa is at our core and we will continue to build first-class on-the-ground banks. The group has more than 1 200 branches on the African continent and representation in key global financial centres.

The group’s 52 000 employees across all regions deliver a complete range of services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking and wealth management. Standard Bank Group had total assets of R1 549 billion (about US$183 billion) at 31 December 2012, while its market capitalisation was R191billion (about US$23 billion).

The group’s largest shareholder is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 20,1% shareholding. In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.

Click here for highlights over the past 150 years

Download a comprehensive history of Standard Bank Group.

Citywire Wealth Manager Awards

Best Small Firm, Short Listed (2011, 2010)
Balanced Portfolio, Short Listed (2010)
Cautious Portfolio, Short Listed (2010)

International Fund & Product Awards

Best Expatriate Bank*, Winner (2012, 2011, 2009)
Best International Structured Product Provider, Highly Commended (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)
Best International Sales Team, Shortlisted (2011)
Best Growth Product, Winner (2008)
Best Offshore Product, Winner (2008)
Best Fully Capital Protected Product, Highly Commended (2008)

*Formerly Best International Bank

Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence

International Business of the Year, Finalist (2011)

World Finance Banking Awards 2012

Best Commercial Bank - Channel Islands, Winner (2012)

Group awards can be found here

Best International Structured Products Provider

Our vision

We are committed to making a real difference to financial services in South Africa and other emerging markets.

We will ensure long-term sustainability by harmonising the needs of our customers, our people and our shareholders and by being relevant to the societies in which we operate.

We will only succeed if we are able to attract, retain, develop and deploy teams of people with energy, passion and skills.

Our values

Serving our customers
We do everything in our power to ensure that we provide our customers with the products, services and solutions to suit their needs, provided that everything we do for them is based on sound business principles.

Growing our people
We encourage and help our people to develop to their full potential, and measure our leaders on how well they grow and challenge the people they lead.

Delivering to our shareholders
We understand that we earn the right to exist by providing appropriate long-term returns to our shareholders. We try extremely hard to meet our various targets and deliver on our commitments.

Being proactive
We strive to stay ahead by anticipating rather than reacting, but our actions are always carefully considered.

Working in teams
We, and all aspects of our work, are interdependent. We appreciate that, as teams, we can achieve much greater things than as individuals. We value teams within and across business units, divisions and countries.

Guarding against arrogance
We have confidence in our ability to achieve ambitious goals and we celebrate success, but we must never allow ourselves to become arrogant.

Respecting each other
We have the highest regard for the dignity of all people. We respect each other and what Standard Bank stands for. We recognise that there are corresponding obligations associated with our individual rights.

Upholding the highest levels of integrity
Our entire business model is based on trust and integrity as perceived by our stakeholders, especially our customers.

Standard Bank is committed to running a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in the local communities in which we operate. Sponsorships are a key element of this as they help to energise our brand, making it more visible, interesting and relevant.

We highly value our South African roots and are keen to sponsor opportunities that have an African connection as well as those that contribute to our local communities. We are involved in a wide range of sporting and arts initiatives predominantly in Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Sports

Cricket

Standard Bank has forged long-term partnerships through sponsoring cricket. We support cricket because it is a game which demands the best of its players both as individuals and as part of a team, an ethos that is shared by us.

Since 1996 we have been headline sponsor of the Isle of Man Cricket Association, enabling the running of the island's senior leagues and cups for 12 clubs and around 700 registered players. The ‘ Standard Bank Player of the Month’ Award was introduced in 2010 to reward excellence at an individual level.

In Jersey we have sponsored the Jersey Cricket Board’s annual under 16s county festival since the mid 1990s, and more recently extended our support to enable the Board to facilitate the UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) on the island.

Golf

We are proud to sponsor junior golf in Jersey. The Standard Bank Junior Tour and the annual Standard Bank inter-insular Challenge Trophy against Guernsey have become integral to the nurturing of golf talent in the Island and we are proud of our long-term involvement.

In 2012 we extended our relationship with the Jersey Golf Union to include sponsorship of the island men’s team.

Island Games

Standard Bank supports an annual fundraising golf day organised by the Jersey Golf Union (JGU) and the Jersey Ladies Golf Association (JLGA). The funds raised help to cover the teams’ expenses to travel to the Island Games which are held every two years and involve 24 member islands. The next Island Games take place in Bermuda in 2013.

Supporting charities

Centre Point Trust

In Jersey Standard Bank staff volunteered their time to help local Jersey children by supporting Centre Point Trust to improve its childcare facilities during weekend work projects over the last three years. Their efforts have resulted in new play facilities at three of Centre Point’s venues.