Standard Bank has deepened its strategic technology collaboration with Huawei as the group accelerates the modernisation of its banking platforms to support growth, innovation and greater financial inclusion across the African continent.
Announced at HUAWEI CONNECT 2026 in Shanghai, the expanded partnership will focus on application modernisation, cloud technologies, data capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI), enabling Standard Bank to build a more agile, scalable and resilient technology foundation for its operations across Africa.
As Africa’s largest bank by assets, Standard Bank Group operates in 21 countries and serves millions of clients across diverse markets, each with unique regulatory, infrastructure and customer requirements. The group’s technology strategy is focused on creating a more integrated and future-ready banking platform that enhances customer experiences, strengthens resilience and supports long-term growth.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Funeka Montjane, Standard Bank Group Chief Executive of Personal and Private Banking, said: “Access to modern technology is essential to extending financial services to more people across the continent. When technology lowers our cost to serve, it makes it commercially viable to reach communities that have historically been excluded from traditional financial services. We believe technology can play a powerful role in expanding access to banking, helping more people save, invest and build a better future for themselves and their families.”
The expanded agreement builds on a strategic partnership established between Standard Bank and Huawei in 2024 and broadens the scope of collaboration to include cloud, AI and data capabilities.
Leo Chen, Huawei’s Senior Vice-President and President of Enterprise Sales, described the strategic cloud partnership as a fresh starting point for the two organisations’ shared future. He said Huawei would continue investing in computing power, AI infrastructure, cloud, data and software engineering. “By working more closely with Standard Bank, Huawei will support core-system modernisation, strengthen AI infrastructure and scale AI applications to build a more agile, resilient and intelligent banking infrastructure,” said Chen.
Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei Digital Finance BU, said Standard Bank’s trust in Huawei’s critical core banking infrastructure demonstrates Huawei’s capabilities and long-term service commitment in the financial sector. Huawei will leverage its technical expertise, together with software partners, to provide a secure, reliable and flexible technology foundation for the modernisation of Standard Bank’s core banking systems. The co-operation will support the bank’s migration from legacy infrastructure to a dynamic cloud-based architecture, improve IT efficiency and agility, and enable faster and more personalised digital financial services for customers.
“Moving forward, Huawei will continue to work with customers and partners to support the digital transformation across the financial services industry with secure and reliable hybrid cloud infrastructure, providing a solid digital foundation for finance in Africa and globally," said Cao.
The agreement was signed by Tsebeletso Mashau, CIO of Africa Regions and Deputy Group CIO of Personal and Private Banking at Standard Bank Group, and Kui Zheng, Deputy General Manager of Huawei Enterprise South Africa, on behalf of their respective organisations.
Mashau said the milestone marked an important step in Standard Bank’s digital transformation journey, emphasising that its significance goes beyond technology investment. “It is really about the possibilities that it unlocks for what we can do for our clients and ensure that we serve them brilliantly and intelligently,” she said.
Mashau also highlighted the strong collaboration between the two organisations in turning strategy into execution and recognising the teams’ commitment and diligence in delivery. She noted that “the agreement signed will not be remembered for the investment in technology, but it will be remembered for what it made possible for our clients and the future of banking in Africa”.
Khomotso Molabe, CIO of Personal and Private Banking and Deputy Group CIO at Standard Bank, said: “The group is focused on simplifying and modernising its technology environment to support future growth. We are building a high-performance, resilient and customer-centric technology platform for the future. By standardising and modernising our technology landscape across key areas, we are creating the foundation required to deliver greater agility, security, scalability and cost efficiency while continuing to meet the evolving needs of our customers across Africa.”
Will Meng, CEO of Huawei South Africa, added: "We hope today's strategic partnership will lead to real, high-quality projects, innovative breakthroughs and a strong team of core talent. More importantly, by working closely together, Huawei aims to be Standard Bank's most trusted delivery partner, most devoted innovation partner and most long-term strategic partner on its digital transformation journey."
As part of the collaboration, Standard Bank and Huawei will continue to explore opportunities in areas such as AI-enabled customer service, fraud detection, risk decision-making and intelligent operations. The cloud platform will be implemented in phases to support the group’s evolving business and customer requirements.
The collaboration forms part of Standard Bank’s broader commitment to using technology and innovation to drive sustainable growth, improve customer experiences and advance financial inclusion across the continent.
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