Standard Chartered has increased its digital foothold in Africa by launching its digital bank in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This follows digital bank launches for Standard Chartered. in Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya earlier this year. Furthermore, there was also a launch in the Ivory Coast in 2018.

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The digital bank provides Standard Chartered customers across the eight markets in Africa with affordable and convenient services. First of its kind in Botswana and Zambia, it aims to offer a truly digital account opening experience.

Customers can utilise banking services anywhere at any time. In addition, active customers are eligible for loyalty rewards and promotions.

Sunil Kaushal, Regional CEO, Africa and Middle East, at Standard Chartered, said: “This is a significant achievement for the Bank having now launched digital banks in 8 markets in 15 months of our initial launch in Côte d’Ivoire. The growing population of Africa is demanding faster and more convenient banking and it has been very rewarding to witness increased acceptance and a growing demand for our digital products across the continent. We have an exciting pipeline of product launches on this platform which will position us as the premier digital bank in our markets of choice.”

Standard Chartered and its digital banks are receiving a popular response. In the Ivory Coast, it has seen 18,000 new account openings since launch. Uganda has witnessed an eight-fold increase in new account openings, and Tanzania has signed up more new customers since its launch in March than in the whole of 2018.

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Standard Chartered has no intention of slowing down and intends to launch the offering in Nigeria in September.

SC Keyboard

The banking giant has also launched SC Keyboard, a solution that allows customers to access financial services through social media and messing platforms. Launching in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania first, it will be rolled out to other countries through the year.

Clients can transfer money in real-time, pay utility bills, and instantly check balances from within any social or messaging platform.

Jaydeep Gupta, Regional Head of Retail Banking, Africa and Middle East, said: “Following the additional rollouts of our online retail banks across Africa, SC Keyboard is an important milestone in our digital journey. SC Keyboard was designed with our clients in mind, as users can now pay their bills, view their account balances and transfer money to their friends or family through any social or messaging platform. Increased prosperity has made the African population more financially savvy and many users seek new and easy ways to handle their money. We want our interactions to be simple, intuitive and seamless – with, we will remain committed to leveraging the best technology to bridge digital and human channels and enhance customer centricity and service delivery.”