Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest bank by assets, and Huawei have expanded their technology partnership to accelerate cloud adoption, application modernization, data capabilities and artificial intelligence across the bank’s African operations. The agreement, announced at HUAWEI CONNECT 2026 in Shanghai, is aimed at building a more agile, scalable and resilient technology platform.

Building a modern bank

Standard Bank operates in 21 countries and serves more than 18 million clients. Its markets have different regulatory requirements, infrastructure constraints and customer needs, making technology modernization a key part of the group’s strategy to create a more integrated banking platform.

Funeka Montjane, Standard Bank Group chief executive of Personal and Private Banking, said modern technology could help reduce the cost of serving customers and make financial services commercially viable for communities that have historically been excluded from traditional banking.

Cloud takes center stage

The expanded agreement builds on a strategic partnership established by Standard Bank and Huawei in 2024. The latest deal widens the relationship to cloud, artificial intelligence and data capabilities, while supporting the bank’s migration from legacy infrastructure toward a more dynamic cloud-based architecture.

Leo Chen, Huawei senior vice president and president of Enterprise Sales, said the partnership would support core-system modernization, strengthen AI infrastructure and expand AI applications. Huawei plans to invest in computing power, cloud, data and software engineering as the two companies deepen their technology collaboration.

Modernizing core systems

Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei Digital Finance Business Unit, said Standard Bank’s use of Huawei technology for critical banking infrastructure reflected the company’s capabilities and long-term commitment to financial services. Huawei will work with software partners to provide a secure and flexible foundation for modernizing the bank’s core systems.

The companies said the transformation is expected to improve IT efficiency and agility while supporting faster and more personalized digital financial services. The cloud platform will be implemented in phases, allowing Standard Bank to align deployment with changing business priorities and customer requirements across its African markets.

AI targets banking needs

Standard Bank and Huawei will also explore artificial intelligence applications in customer service, fraud detection, risk decision-making and intelligent operations. The initiatives are part of the bank’s wider technology strategy, which aims to improve security, scalability and cost efficiency while supporting financial inclusion and customer growth.

Tsebeletso Mashau, Standard Bank’s CIO for Africa Regions and deputy group CIO of Personal and Private Banking, said the agreement was about more than technology investment. She said the changes should create new possibilities for customers and help the bank deliver services more efficiently and intelligently.

Wider digital push

Khomotso Molabe, CIO of Personal and Private Banking and deputy group CIO at Standard Bank, said the group was focused on simplifying and modernizing its technology environment. He said a high-performance and resilient platform would provide greater agility, security, scalability and cost efficiency as customer needs evolve.

Standard Bank, which has operated for more than 160 years, employs more than 49,000 people, including Liberty employees, and serves more than 18 million clients through more than 1,000 branches and about 6,000 ATMs.

Earlier this month, the group partnered with financial technology company JUMO on a Social Finance Framework aimed at mobilizing sustainable funding for financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

Huawei, founded in 1987, provides information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices globally. The company says it employs about 213,000 people and operates in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 3 billion people as it develops technologies aimed at supporting a more connected digital economy.