Standard Bank digital customers now exceed 4.5 million in SA
Standard Bank Group is accelerating its digital transformation across Africa, with growth in customer engagement, platform enhancements, and digital adoption. As Africa’s largest bank by assets, Standard Bank is leveraging technology to redefine banking experiences, expand access, and drive financial inclusion across its diverse markets. Digitally active retail clients in South Africa have as an example grown to over 4.5 million customers, a more than 7% growth in the last year alone.
With a client-led, digitally enabled strategy, the bank is investing in scalable platforms, intelligent systems, and personalised services to meet the evolving needs of individuals, businesses, and institutions. From Cape Town to Lagos, Standard Bank’s digital footprint is expanding rapidly, transforming how millions of Africans interact with financial services.
Digitally active client growth reflects a broader shift in customer behavior, with more clients opting for digital channels for everyday banking, lending, and value-added services. Digital transactional penetration in South Africa rose to 66%, supported by a 12% increase in successful digital transactions, totaling 583 million in the last 6 months. In the same period , digital sales volumes surged by 33%, showing strong demand for digital services and usage by customers.
The SBG Mobile App, has undergone significant enhancements. Over 350 new features and products have been introduced in the past six months, including streamlined digital onboarding, enhanced lending workflows, expanded value-added services such as online vouchers, and improved user interface and accessibility. These upgrades have significantly improved user experience, reduced turnaround times, and increased adoption across retail and small business segments.
“Our South African clients are embracing digital banking at an unprecedented pace,” said Jörg Fischer, Group Chief Information Officer at Standard Bank. “We’ve invested heavily in platform stability, security, and innovation to ensure that our digital channels deliver seamless, intuitive, and secure experiences.”
Across the rest of the continent, Standard Bank is scaling its digital platforms to meet rising demand. In markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Zambia, digital adoption is accelerating, driven by mobile-first solutions and localised client acquisition strategies. The bank’s Africa Regions franchise is focused on expanding access to financial services through digital channels, particularly in underserved and remote areas. Mobile banking, digital lending, and insurance products are being tailored to meet local needs, with strong uptake among small businesses and individual clients.
Fischer says: “The bank’s digital strategy in Africa Regions is about inclusion, relevance, and scale. He emphasised that Standard Bank is building platforms that are not only technologically advanced but also culturally and economically aligned with the markets it serves. He added that the opportunity to transform lives through digital banking is immense.
Standard Bank’s digital ecosystem spans retail, commercial, and corporate banking, with integrated solutions across payments, lending, insurance, and asset management. The bank’s platforms support billions of transactions annually, with increasing volumes coming from mobile and web channels. Digital transactional volumes exceed 1.42 billion, and enhancements to digital onboarding and lending processes are driving faster approvals and disbursements. Value-added services such as online vouchers and merchant acquiring are seeing strong uptake.
Standard Bank’s commitment to digital transformation is underpinned by strategic investment in technology infrastructure. The bank has increased its spend on software, cloud services, and cybersecurity to support platform scalability, resilience, and innovation. Key areas of investment include cloud migration and subscription services, infrastructure optimisation to support front-office digital capabilities, cybersecurity enhancements to protect client data and ensure regulatory compliance, and AI and machine learning for personalisation and operational efficiency.
“Standard Bank is building a future-ready bank that can adapt, scale, and innovate at speed. The goal is to deliver digital experiences that are secure, smart, and human-centred,” says Fischer.
Looking ahead, Standard Bank has set ambitious targets for digital growth across its African footprint. The bank’s strategy focuses on expanding digital access, enhancing platform capabilities, and driving innovation in core banking services. Priorities include expanding digital access in underserved and rural communities, enhancing mobile and web platforms with new features and services, driving innovation in payments, lending, insurance, and wealth management, strengthening data analytics to support personalisation and decision-making, and building partnerships with fintechs, telcos, and ecosystem players.
The bank aims to deepen digital engagement across all client segments, from retail customers to large corporates, with a focus on simplicity, speed, and value. Fischer concluded that Standard Bank sees digital as a growth engine and a catalyst for inclusion. He said the platforms are enabling the bank to serve more clients, more efficiently, and with greater relevance.