By 
Shareholders in Standard Bank Group are all smiles as the bank has performed well in the first half the year ending 30 June 2025, and has reported R24 billion in headline earnings and return of 19.1% for the same fiscal period.
According to the CEO of Standard Bank Group Sim Tshabalala, this strong performance was underpinned by continued balance sheet growth, robust fee and trading revenue growth, and diligently controlled costs. Growth in credit charges was muted, as expected. Insurance and Asset Management recorded a continued upward trajectory in earnings and returns across.
“Our performance in the first six months of 2025 reflects the robust franchise momentum in our businesses and active capital management despite the volatility linked to global developments. We remain confident and firmly on track to deliver on the 2025 targets outlined to the market in August 2021,” said Tshabalala.
Tshabalala says Standard Bank maintained its focus on contributing to positive change in the countries in which it operates. Earlier in the year Standard Bank updated its sustainable finance mobilisation target, increasing from R250 billion by 2026 to R450 billion by 2028. Since 2022, the group has cumulatively mobilised over R230 billion in sustainable finance for clients, of which R53 billion was mobilised in the first half of 2025.
The deployment of personalised, data-driven offers to clients drove client retention and entrenchment and increased revenue. In South Africa, digital retail clients increased by 7%, successful digital transactions increased by 12% and digital sales volumes increased by 33%. Together this drove a 21% increase in digital revenue period on period.
In addition, growth in active business clients was underpinned by growth in the transactional and merchant account base in South Africa and targeted client acquisition strategies in Africa Regions. Investment banking origination reached a new record, driven in particular by opportunities in the Energy and Infrastructure sector.
Standard Bank’s South African franchises delivered earnings of R11.6 billion, our Africa Regions’ franchise R9.7 billion, our Offshore businesses R1.6 billion and the contribution from our 40% stake in ICBC Standard Bank PLC (ICBCS) was R0.8 billion (contributing 49% ,41%, 6% and 4% respectively to group headline earnings). The key contributors to Africa Regions’ headline earnings remained Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia.
Total net income growth exceeded cost growth, resulting in positive jaws of 0.6% and an improvement in the cost-to-income ratio to 49.4% (1H24: 49.7%).
