Standard Bank processed payments totaling 164 trillion rand, further solidifying its dominant position in African financial systems

In 2025, Standard Bank processed one of the largest payment volumes on the African continent, handling transactions worth over 164 trillion rand through its services to 20 million customers and its relationships with correspondent banks. This scale means that over 300 million rand flows through the bank’s infrastructure every minute. This underscores Standard Bank’s pivotal role in Africa’s financial system, supporting financial liquidity, trade, and customers’ daily operations across multiple markets.

The ability to process payments across the entire continent is a strategic advantage. Last year alone, Standard Bank processed 2.3 billion individual payments, representing a 9% year-over-year increase. This is due to the development of electronic channels, intensified efforts in the area of payment card acceptance, and the implementation of new forms of instant and integrated payments in various markets.

International payment flows also rose by 12%, and the bank maintained a 31% market share in South Africa and a 17% share across its entire operating area, solidifying its position as the largest transaction processor on the continent.

“Our payments ecosystem operates at a scale that few institutions can match. Processing transactions worth 164 trillion rand annually requires resilience, sophistication, and constant innovation. For us, payments are more than just transactions—they are the primary driver of our customer relationships and the foundation of our broad platform strategy across Africa. Behind these numbers lies a well-thought-out, integrated payments strategy that encompasses both traditional channels—such as domestic electronic payments, card issuance, point-of-sale card acceptance, cash, and collections—and new channels, including embedded payments, instant payments, cross-border flows based on digital assets, and next-generation settlement technologies.” – Margaret Nienaber, Group Chief Operating Officer, Standard Bank

“Our payments ecosystem operates at a scale that few institutions can match. Processing transactions worth 164 trillion rand annually requires resilience, sophistication, and constant innovation. For us, payments are more than just transactions—they are the primary driver of our customer relationships and the foundation of our broader platform strategy across Africa. Behind these numbers lies a well-thought-out, integrated payments strategy that encompasses both traditional channels—such as domestic electronic payments, card issuance, merchant services, cash, and collections—and new channels, including embedded payments, instant payments, cross-border flows based on digital assets, and next-generation settlement technologies.”

– Margaret Nienaber, Chief Operating Officer of the group, Standard Bank

Across Africa, payment systems are undergoing rapid modernization as a result of regulatory reforms, the spread of digital technologies, and growing competition. Standard Bank has created payment platforms that integrate multiple channels while ensuring seamless customer service, generating revenue with minimal capital investment, improving liquidity, and providing deeper data insights across all business units. As a result, the bank stands out not only for its infrastructure but also for its data analytics and reach, enabling faster, smarter, and more secure fund transfers.

In its domestic markets, Standard Bank is continuously strengthening its infrastructure for handling daily transactions. The trend toward fast and low-cost payments is clearly evident—instant payment options are now available in 13 of our markets across the continent. The number of instant payments in South Africa increased by 37% year-over-year. The bank’s payment card acceptance business has also expanded, with SimplyBlu recording a 19% increase in sales among new merchants, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises as well as larger companies in digitizing their payment acceptance processes.

In East Africa, the bank’s mobile and agency banking ecosystems have expanded significantly, and the Ugandan platform FlexiPay generated 7 billion rand in mobile payment transaction value in 2025, marking a 99 percent year-over-year increase. This presence in the domestic market is critical to ensuring priority treatment for customers, retaining deposits, and strengthening the bank’s role in everyday economic activity.

Cross-border payments, which in the past were slow and costly on many African payment routes, have also undergone a radical transformation. Standard Bank became the first African bank to provide customers with direct access to the Africa–Asia payment corridor via the CIPS system, processing transactions worth 9.5 billion rand since its launch late last year. This solution enables faster and cheaper settlements in a region that is home to some of Africa’s largest trading partners. In addition, the bank has introduced a new solution for global remittance senders. Launched in 2025 and currently available in four markets, this product enables the seamless distribution of incoming remittances at the final stage, which is a key source of income for millions of households across Africa. The bank aims to expand the range of available corridors through its offerings, providing customers with choice and resilience regardless of global volatility.

In light of the rapid growth of the global digital asset market, the bank has entered into a partnership aimed at supporting local issuers through the launch in 2025 of ZARU—a rand-denominated stablecoin featuring an escrow reserve solution. This is part of the bank’s strategy to support digital asset service providers and tap into new sources of value in the form of tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and digital asset-based settlements. Our cross-border Aroko rail platform, based on blockchain technology and operated by the corporate and investment banking division, has processed flows worth over 1 trillion rand, providing a unique solution for automating recurring, variable cross-border settlements. Standard Bank is building secure “on-ramp” and “off-ramp” solutions that will protect deposits, ensure regulatory compliance, and enable clients to securely access next-generation custody and payment technologies.

The ability to process payments efficiently, reliably, and securely across the continent is crucial to stimulating economic growth in Africa. It facilitates the flow of funds, money, and goods, and helps support families and businesses.

“Our goal is to support both intra-African connections and those between Africa and the rest of the world through reliable, seamless, and modern payment services. Whether it’s real-time domestic transfers, multi-channel cross-border payments, or blockchain-based settlements, our approach is consistent: we build secure channels, create value for customers, and intelligently expand into different markets. “The bank’s vision for payments is a roadmap based on three pillars: dominance in the domestic market, cross-border diversification, and the evolution of digital assets,” said Margaret Nienaber, Group Chief Operating Officer, Standard Bank

“Our goal is to foster connectivity both within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world through reliable, seamless, and modern payment services. Whether it’s real-time domestic transfers, multi-channel cross-border payments, or blockchain-based settlements, our approach is consistent: we build secure payment channels, create value for customers, and intelligently expand into various markets. The bank’s vision for payments is based on three pillars: dominance in the domestic market, cross-border diversification, and the evolution of digital assets.”

– Margaret Nienaber, Chief Operating Officer of the group, Standard Bank