Africa’s best bank: Standard Bank

For the second year in a row, Standard Bank walks away with the award for the best bank in Africa. And for good reason.

The South African lender not only bagged the big prize this year; it was also named best bank for financing, best bank for advisory and, courtesy of its private banking team, best bank for wealth management.

At a country level, Standard Bank was named best overall bank plus best bank for corporates and best bank for environmental, social and governance in its home market of South Africa. In the markets where it trades as Stanbic Bank, the group scooped another handful of awards, including for best bank and best investment bank in Uganda.

Under the leadership of chief executive Sim Tshabalala, Standard Bank is financially stronger than ever before. It posted total net income of R177.6 billion ($9.57 billion) in the full year 2023, up 20% year on year – beating all its rivals by a country mile.