Standard Bank Blog

Welcome to bloggers from China

Standard Bank Team — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:54:15 +0000

We are excited to be able to meet face-to-face a group of influential bloggers from China to the Standard Bank Group head office today.

The bloggers are visiting South Africa to find out more about the country so they may present their perceptions to their followers in China and around the world.

During their visit to Standard Bank Group’s head office they will hear more about our history, business and social media activities.

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Stop climate change: support Earth Hour!

Standard Bank Team — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:28:16 +0000

On 27 March at 8.30 pm, we will be supporting Earth Hour, a symbolic event to raise awareness around climate change.

Climate change is happening and will affect all of us in our lifetimes. There are many things we can do as a company and as individuals to reduce the impact of climate change – most especially by using energy wisely, by investing in more energy efficient appliances and by thinking before we act.  

At Standard Bank Group will be turning off the lights in buildings we own around the world for one hour. You can do the same at home to raise awareness within your family.  

Register your pledge to switch off your lights for Earth Hour. It will help pressure on world leaders to pass legislation on climate change. Go to www.earthhour.org.

Help is at hand for business owners

Standard Bank Team — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:42:24 +0000

The owner of any small business has to often rely on help and guidance wherever they may find it.

These entrepreneurs are extraordinary people because they mostly have to be “jacks of all trades” – experts in finance, technology, marketing, people management, buying and selling.

Small Capital is an initiative that offers business owners free advice and tools to help them build a successful enterprise. The online home of Small Capital is a treasure trove of ideas and contacts, and also houses the free monthly publication that is a practical guide to running a small business.

Click on to www.smallcapital.co.za now and explore the tools available to help you. Standard Bank Group and MTN are sponsors of this initiative.

“Our money, our rights”

Standard Bank Team — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:51:06 +0000

Happy International Consumer Rights Day! This year’s event concentrates on issues relating to financial services.

Worldwide, the financial sectors are one of the most heavily regulated services, but as consumers, we know that this isn’t always true for consumer protection laws.

The International Consumer Rights Day is necessary to address any issues and enforce the laws that are aimed at ensuring that companies protect our rights by providing concise and correct information, fair and honest dealings, value and good quality, and equality.

Standard Bank Group understands the importance of these customer’s rights and supports these rights in every country in which we operate.

Placing sport under the spotlight at the Global Sports Forum

Standard Bank Team — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:47:20 +0000

Sport is a display of passion, dedication and commitment; and it grips the imagination of people all over the world. The Global Sports Forum Barcelona is an annual event which places a spotlight on the role sport plays in our lives, and we’re the official partner to this important event.

The forum kicks off today (March 8) and continues until Wednesday, bringing together major decision makers in the sports arena and experts from other fields. It’s a networking event where sport enthusiasts will discuss sports and education, sport business, sports and geopolitics, major sports events, sport in cities, sports and health, and sports and creativity.

Sports and education play an important role in a happy and productive society, and we are proud to be the official partners of the Global Sports Forum.

Follow this event here:
http://www.globalsportsforum.org
http://twitter.com/GlobalSportsFor
http://bit.ly/btP1rD

Emerging market focus is paying off

Standard Bank Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:37:54 +0000

Jacko Maree, Chief Executive, Standard Bank Group, writes: “It was an extremely tough year – but one in which our focus on developing markets stood us in good stead. Our profitability remained sound and our strong liquidity and capital position allowed us to continue to invest for growth. We achieved our highest-ever independent customer satisfaction ratings in South Africa. We invested more than we have ever done in developing, training and building the competency of our people, and focused on connecting our customers in Africa to the rest of the world and those in the rest of the world to Africa.”

For more see http://www.standardbank.com/Article.aspx?id=34972074&src=

The land of dreams for those who want a home to call their own

Standard Bank Team — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:07:44 +0000

We’ve helped develop the Woodmead development, which is found on the KwaZulu Natal north coast. Standard Bank’s Integrated Residential Development division is developing top quality housing schemes for those who fall in the low to middle income households.

This project will include a residential area for 3 500 families, schooling, work opportunities as well as a commercial and light industrial community. Families living in the Woodmead Development can choose from a range of tenure options from freehold, sectional title and rental.

With the budget speech including grants to assist with affordable housing, you are now able to state you claim on a piece of the 427-hectare development and be part of this great new low to middle-income property market. Get your dream home at an affordable price as they range from R350 000 to R700 000.

This is what one happy customer had to say about Standard Bank backing this initiative: “I submitted my documents and just sat back. It was a very quick process. They were efficient and gave me no hassles. I was informed very soon afterwards that my bond had been granted, and now here I am, the proud owner of my first home.”

If you want to learn more about applying for a home loan, visit www.standardbank.co.za for everything you need to know.

Good luck and happy house hunting.

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Growing in Johannesburg

Standard Bank Team — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:21:06 +0000

While we continue to expand across the globe, Standard Bank Group’s (SBG) head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, has also experienced a growth spurt. This has got our property team working on a plan for the future.

Construction of a new facility in Rosebank, Johannesburg, has just got underway. The new office complex will house corporate offices, meeting rooms and a small retail space.

No final decision has been made as to which of our people will be relocated to Rosebank once the complex is complete in 2013. However, initial thinking is that the buildings will accommodate mainly customer-facing staff and will relieve a lot of the pressure that is currently being placed on the infrastructure at our head office complex.

We remain committed to the Johannesburg Central Business District and are proud to be associated with this historic part of town. Our investment in Rosebank complements other initiatives that we have adopted to ease the burden on our head office infrastructure.

Standard Bank’s Constantia Valley complex, just west of Johannesburg, houses some of SBG’s call centre and insurance divisions. This has not only eased our space constraints, but allows us access to a prominent branding opportunity at an impressive complex.

Brazil weds itself to Africa’s latent agricultural potential

Standard Bank Team — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:22:55 +0000

Brazil and Africa will be partnering in a quest for greater food and energy security. We’re headed for an agricultural revolution and we’re also working on the challenges brought about by climate change.

Read Standard Bank Group (SBG) economists Simon Freemantle and Jeremy Stevens’ report on the challenges facing both Brazil and Africa in ensuring greater global competitiveness in food and energy supply chains, suggesting the potential of bilateral collaboration for economic growth and poverty alleviation.

This report also focuses on Brazil’s agricultural drive in Africa.

Visit http://ws9.standardbank.co.za/sbrp/DocumentDownloader?docId=3164 for the full report.

The recession is dead - long live the upswing

Standard Bank Team — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:43:55 +0000

The past decade will be remembered for many things, but the recession is the biggest downer of the “noughties” and the backlash from these tough times will be with us for some time to come.

But it’s not all doom and gloom - Standard Bank’s economists say this is the start of a fresh, promising and flourishing decade. At last the time has come – the recession is over and things are looking up.

So how is this change going to happen? Read this comprehensive report for a better understanding of where we’re heading as a Global Economy; learn about what this means for emerging markets, the state of the South African economy and how Sub-Saharan Africa will survive the global crisis.

http://ws9.standardbank.co.za/sbrp/DocumentDownloader?docId=3176

Students! Take on our IT Challenge

Standard Bank Team — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:28:36 +0000

Are you and your friends IT wizards? Do you have what it takes to try your hand at Standard Bank’s annual IT Challenge?

Every year we run the Standard Bank IT Challenge for students in South African varsities. This year’s challenge kicks off with heats on 13 March at several campuses around South Africa. The finals will take place at our head office in Johannesburg on 15 April 2010.

We use the latest technologies to develop and maintain systems that support Standard Bank Group’s (SBG) global business. So do you have what it takes?

If you are gifted in the problem-solving department and work well in a team, then the IT Challenge is tailor made for you. Who knows, your team might be crowned the IT boffins for 2010.

Working in a team of four, students will need to tackle a series of hypothetical problems within four hours, this time will be extended to six hours during the finals.

It is tough going. So tough that over the years no team has ever completed all the questions correctly within the allotted time. So be prepared for a challenge, it’s going to be intense.

Get all the details you need here: www.standardbank.co.za/itchallenge.

Standard Bank team sweats it out to raise £4 000 for BBC initiative

Standard Bank Team — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:06:31 +0000

How do you get to do outdoor activities and raise money for children in need without leaving the office? Standard Bank Group’s Isle of Man and Jersey offices have the answer and it lies in one of the trendiest gadgets: The Wii Fit.

This is what went down

Wanting to contribute to the BBC’s “Children in Need Appeal" was the catalyst for this adventure. The team’s aim was to raise funds to help disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

As part of the initiative the team climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, endured a 50km Olympic cross-country ski marathon and rowed the English channel - all from the familiar confines of their offices. Spectators also contributed to the funds raised while they watched the competitors sweat it out on the Wii.

Together they raised over £4 000. With a generous top up of £2 000 from the bank, this contributed to the fantastic sum of over £20 million which was raised by numerous other individuals and companies during this year’s appeal.

Ephraim Ngatane – Soweto’s symphony

Standard Bank Team — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:23:58 +0000

If you’re a South African art lover then you’ll be pleased to know that the Standard Bank art gallery is exhibiting Ephraim Ngatane’s work – Soweto’s Symphony until 13 March 2010.

It has been said that this artist has put his thumbprint on the history of South African art. Although this promising artist’s skills were taken from us prematurely, his incredible portrayal of life in Soweto during the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70 will live on for many years to come. His amazing ability to conveyed emotion and depth with every sweep of his paintbrush is what makes this exhibition such a special treat.

Music, sport and the social life of the Soweto Township are all common features in Ngatane’s art, as is his ability to capture the callous degradation of the apartheid system while still using flamboyant and magnificent colours as well as interesting abstract and geometric shapes.

Come and enjoy a documented blast from the past and see how far we’ve come as a nation.

Visit us at the Standard Bank Gallery, Corner Simmonds and Frederick Street, Johannesburg.
Tel: 011 631-1889
Gallery hours: Mon-Fri, 08:00-16:30; Saturday, 09:00-13:00
The gallery is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Admission: free

Standard Bank Group wishes the Chinese community a prosperous new year

Standard Bank Team — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:35:03 +0000

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Twenty20 cricket hits Zimbabwe

Standard Bank Team — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:24:43 +0000

It’s fast. It’s action-packed. It’s cricket as you’ve never experienced before. Most of all, it’s fun for the whole family.

We've been a sponsor of limited-overs cricket in South Africa since 1997 and we're the official sponsor of:
Ø The international limited-overs team (ODI and International Pro20)
Ø International Pro20 events played in South Africa
Ø The Standard Bank Pro20 series (the domestic franchise competition in South Africa).

And now we've added to this exciting cricket mix, for the first time ever Twenty-20 cricket will take Zimbabwe by storm. This action will run from 12-20 February 2010.

Six teams are battling it out over nine days to be crowned the champions of the first Stanbic Bank 20 Series. Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe is a member of Standard Bank Group (SBG).

Get down to the Harare Sport Club where five teams from the Zimbabwean and Namibian national teams will be taking part in the Stanbic Bank 20 Series.

Call +263 (4) 788161/2 or email cricket@acumenafria.com for tickets.

Who’s playing whom when

12-Feb, 10:00 Mountaineers vs Mid West Rhinos
12-Feb, 14:30 Matabeleland Tuskers vs Mashonaland Eagles
13-Feb, 10:00 Southern Rocks vs Desert Vipers
13-Feb, 14:30 Mountaineers vs Matabeleland Tuskers
14-Feb, 10:00 Mid West Rhinos vs Mashonaland Eagles
14-Feb, 14:30 Matabeleland Tuskers vs Southern Rocks
15-Feb, 10:00 Mashonaland Eagles vs Desert Vipers
15-Feb, 14:30 Mountaineers vs Southern Rocks
16-Feb, 10:00 Mid West Rhinos vs Matabeleland Tuskers
16-Feb, 14:30 Mashonaland Eagles vs Southern Rocks
17-Feb, 10:00 Mountaineers vs Desert Vipers
17-Feb, 14:30 Mid West Rhinos vs Southern Rocks
18-Feb, 14:30 Matabeleland Tuskers vs Desert Vipers
19-Feb, 10:00 Mountaineers vs Mashonalad Eagles
19-Feb, 14:30 Mid West Rhinos vs Desert Vipers
20-Feb, 10:00 TBC vs TBC
20-Feb, 14:30 TBC vs TBC

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/cFbKuX