Standard Bank Group processed more than R164 trillion in payments in 2025 across its 20 million clients and correspondent-banking relationships, the South African lender said in a statement on 30 March 2026.
The bank handled 2.3 billion individual payments during the year, a 9 per cent increase on 2024, driven by expanding electronic channels, stronger merchant acquiring and the adoption of instant and embedded payments across its markets. Cross-border payment flows grew by 12 per cent, and the bank said it holds a 31 per cent market share in South Africa and 17 per cent across its broader footprint.
“Our payments ecosystem operates at a scale few institutions can match. Moving R164 trillion a year requires resilience, sophistication and constant innovation,” said Margaret Nienaber, Group Chief Operating Officer of Standard Bank.
DOMESTIC GROWTH
Immediate payment options are available in 13 of the group's markets, and immediate payments in South Africa grew 37 per cent year on year. The bank's merchant acquiring platform SimplyBlu recorded a 19 per cent increase in new merchant sales, while in Uganda the FlexiPay mobile money platform processed R7 billion in transaction value in 2025, up 99 per cent.
CROSS-BORDER AND DIGITAL ASSETS
Standard Bank said it became the first African bank to connect clients directly to the Africa-Asia payment corridor through China's Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), processing R9.5 billion since the service launched late last year. Its Aroko blockchain-enabled cross-border rail, operated by the Corporate and Investment Banking division, has processed more than R1 trillion in flows, automating recurring variable cross-border settlements.
In 2025 the bank also partnered to support local issuers of ZARU, a rand-denominated stablecoin, with a custody reserve solution, as part of a push into tokenised deposits, stablecoins and digital asset-based settlement. A product for global remitters launched in 2025 is now live in four markets.