Standard Bank Group, Africa’s biggest lender by assets, reported record profit as a growing client base bolstered fee and commission income, and as market volatility drove trading revenue.
Headline earnings for the year climbed 10.5% to R49.2 billion ($2.9 billion), the Johannesburg-based lender said. That compares with the R48.2 billion median estimate compiled by Bloomberg. The lender declared a final dividend of R8.78 per share, bringing the total payout for the year to a record R16.95.
The lender, backed by Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, added 3.3% more clients in the year to total 19.6 million, and benefitted from trade-related volatility, which affected African currencies and debt, and lifted trading revenue.
The one-year historical volatility of the rand was at 10% at the end of last year, the highest among major currencies on the continent. The war in Iran is likely to extend the period of unpredictability.
“Geopolitical developments in the Middle East, particularly the conflict involving Iran, continue to introduce uncertainty,” Standard Bank said in the statement. “While our guidance includes current information, an enduring or escalated conflict could affect macroeconomic assumptions, including on trade, inflation, and growth.”
Standard Bank’s shares rose as much as 2.8% before paring gains to 0.5% by 9:27 a.m. in Johannesburg, while the benchmark FTSE/JSE All Share Index fell 0.8%.
Net interest income climbed 4% as gross loans and advances jumped 6%. Non-interest revenue grew 10% to R63.75 billion. The increase in its customer base drove deposits up 11% to R2.4 trillion. The bank now has R3.62 trillion in assets.
Headline earnings at the bank’s rest-of-Africa operations climbed 9%. The unit now makes up 40% of the bank’s total earnings, while its South Africa operations, where income surged 16% in the period, now account for 51% of headline performance.
The bank’s return on equity improved to 19.3% from 18.5% in 2024, and the bank expects it will remain within the target range of 17-20%. It predicts return on equity of between 18% and 22% by 2028, compared with 16% in the decade to 2024.
Standard Bank said it has cumulatively mobilised more than R277 billion in sustainable finance since 2022, with R100 billion added in 2025 alone.
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