KEY POINTS
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The Standard Bank Cairo office strengthens trade links between Africa and the Gulf.
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The Standard Bank Cairo office supports market entry for global companies operating in Africa.
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The new office builds on two decades of regional expansion focused on capital mobility.
The largest lender in Africa in terms of assets, Standard Bank Group, is getting ready to launch a representative office in Cairo on November 12. The action marks a new phase in the South African institution’s endeavor to strengthen ties throughout North Africa and increase the continent’s access to international funding. Egypt is at the top of the list of countries where cross-border flows are increasing, and Chief Executive Sim Tshabalala has pushed the bank to expand its presence there.
Standard Bank Expands with New Cairo office
The new office will serve as a hub for investment and trade between Sub-Saharan Africa, the Gulf, and Egypt. Additionally, it will provide a more direct route into African markets for international corporations operating throughout the continent. In April 2024, Standard Bank submitted an application for a complete banking license in Egypt.
For many years, Standard Bank has centered its global operations within the DIFC on a base in Dubai. Cairo is meant to be located next to that base, providing Egyptian clients with improved access to liquidity from Asian financial hubs and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
According to Billonaires.Africa, the group had 19.2 million customers and reported total assets of $195.6 billion as of June 30, 2025. It has about 50,000 employees throughout Africa, has more than 1,180 service locations, and has about 5,400 automated teller machines. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is its biggest shareholder, owning 19.7% of the company.
Growth opportunities around the Standard Bank Cairo office
For 163 years, Standard Bank has been in operation. When it purchased ANZ Grindlays Bank’s businesses in eight African regions in 1992, it quickly expanded outside of Southern Africa in the early 1990s. These activities were renamed as Stanbic Bank, which continues to serve as the foundation of the group’s franchise throughout the continent. The bank currently has operations in 21 African nations, as well as offshore hubs in Jersey and the Isle of Man and four major global financial centers: Dubai, New York, London, and Beijing.
Egypt is a logical extension of its network, according to management. Cairo is at the heart of the bank’s long-term plan for African financial integration because of its role as a commercial hub connecting North Africa and the Middle East. Tshabalala has persisted in pointing the group in the direction of investments that the bank thinks will foster significant growth.
