Stanbic Bank Botswana, as one of the leading financial institutions in the country, has demonstrated its commitment to supporting local businesses and communities. Through its Business and Commercial and Banking(BCB), the bank offers a range of banking solutions tailored to meet the needs of the small and medium enterprises across various sectors of the economy.
The larger businesses are however taken care of our Corporate and Investment Banking through an array of bank solutions intended to meet the client’s needs in the diverse industry sectors.
The Bank has recently supported the completion of a landmark project being the development of the Jackalas No.1 Border Mall, a shopping complex located in Ramokgwebana near the Botswana and Zimbabwe border. The mall was partially financed by Stanbic Bank Botswana, alongside Zambezi Motors, the promoter and owner of the mall.
The mall is expected to create access to products and services by the locals, employment and the holistic upliftment of the Ramokgwebana community and its surrounding villages. It is also expected to boost trade and tourism between the two countries.
“This project aligns with our broader strategy of supporting infrastructure development, regional integration, and economic diversification. We are proud to be part of this landmark project that will benefit not only our client, but also the local community and economy,” said Mr. Lesego Osman Head of Business and Commercial Banking in an exclusive interview with The Projects Magazine.
The bank’s BCB segment has also been supporting local businesses in various industry sectors, such as mining, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, transport and logistics. Some of the examples of how the division has helped its clients include, providing trade solutions through its ACTS (Africa China Trade Solutions) platform, which facilitates trade between African and Chinese businesses. The BCB segment is able to facilitate the importation of machinery, equipment and other customer needs through Africa – China Trade Solutions (ACTS).
Smart Paper, a company based in Francistown that provides thermal paper for POS devices, till rolls, and ATMs is one of the entities who has benefited from the segment. Smart Paper currently employs eight engineering graduates from Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)which the bank sponsors and continues to grow from strength to strength. This is aligned with our purpose “Botswana is our home; we drive her growth”
Additionally, Stanbic Bank has partnered with Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) and National Development Bank (NDB) to provide financing solutions to SMEs that are supported by these institutions. The BCB segment has been able to leverage its relationship with these institutions to offer competitive banking solutions to its clients.
The bank also runs Stanbic Bank Accelerate Incubator, which provides mentorship, training, networking, and funding opportunities to selected SMEs that have high potential for growth and innovation. The programme aims to nurture and develop these SMEs into sustainable businesses that can contribute to the economy. This is part of the bank’s Social, Economic and Environmental pillar (SEE).
“We have been able to achieve this by being customer-centric, innovative, agile, and collaborative. We have also been able to leverage our group’s capabilities and resources to offer our clients world-class solutions that meet their needs. This is how we continue to truly deliver on our Purpose; Botswana is our home; we drive her growth.” Osman said.
He adds that the BCB segment will continue to pursue its vision of being the leading provider of banking and financial services to entrepreneurs and SMEs in Botswana.
“We are committed to driving Botswana’s growth by supporting our clients’ dreams and aspirations. We believe that by doing so, we are not only creating value for our clients and our bank, but also for our country,” the Business & Commercial Banking Head said.
DIVISIONS UNDER THE BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL BANKING SEGMENT
Stanbic Bank ’s Business and Commercial Banking segment encompasses several divisions comprising the Commercial Banking division which houses Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), normally classified as Enterprise Banking and Commercial Banking.
“We also house the bank’s Vehicle and Asset Finance (VAF) division, Unayo our personal and business banking platform targeted primarily at the unbanked segment of our market, and our Trade division which is focused on providing various trade solutions (LC’s, guarantees, bid bonds, purchase order finance, etc),” said the Head of Business and Commercial Banking.
“We also oversee the bank’s Accelerate business incubator which looks to house and grow various SMEs. BCB also takes care of the bank’s Card Acquiring division which focuses on our Point of Sales and E-commerce business solutions.”
Mr. Osman said Stanbic Bank Botswana has put the relationship with its clients as a key factor in differentiating itself from competitors in the market. “Our relationship model is by far our biggest strength. As we continue to partner with our clients to turn opportunities into possibilities. Our ability to understand and build meaningful and lasting relationships with our clients remains our competitive edge. We are aspirational and based on the opportunities available in the market to grow our asset base.”
SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL AGENDA
Stanbic Bank Botswana as a key financial service provider, supports Botswana’s national aspirations of the Reset Agenda and Mindset Change in order to do things differently and catapult the country’s economy into a high income status.
“We remain aligned to the government reform and development agenda and look to support both the public and private sector to achieve their desired objectives. With the recent passing of the Economic Inclusion Act we view this as positive development that the BCB segment will be anchored around” the bank’s BCB Head said.
Osman revealed that the bank has signed several MOU’s with various entities that support citizen economic empowerment (CEEP) initiatives across the market. “Further to this we are presently resourcing a bespoke CEEP division within the BCB segment whose sole focus will be deepening our CEEP value proposition as we look to provide partnerships across the economic value chain”
