Standard Bank Group is the largest African banking group by assets, with a market cap of approximately R318 billion (USD23 billion) at 30 June 2019, offering a range of banking and related financial services across sub-Saharan Africa. Our strategy is to be an African focused, client-centred, digitally enabled universal financial services organisation, which drives Africa’s growth and creates value for all our stakeholders. Our clients are at the centre of everything we do. This is our central organising principle in building a digitally enabled universal financial services organisation. It aligns our efforts to change the way we do things, develop our people and shift our culture, and ultimately create a sustainable competitive advantage in a changing industry. We have a 156-year history in South Africa, and started building a franchise in sub-Saharan Africa almost 30 years ago. We have an on-the-ground presence in 20 countries on the African continent, and solid local knowledge required to operate a successful business in Africa. Our presence in and connection with, global financial centres enables us to facilitate investment and development flows in Africa, and access to international capital to facilitate growth, diversification and development in Africa. We also have a strategic partnership with the largest bank in the world, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), who is a 20% shareholder in the group. The long-term foreign currency ratings for The Standard Bank of South Africa, the single largest operating entity within the Standard Bank Group, are: Fitch Ratings BB+ (stable) and Moody’s Baa3 (Rating under review).
