We manage our business activities and associated trade-offs, in a way that connects profitability to socially beneficial outcomes.
Our strategy represents our commitment to Africa and to the shared future that we intend to create for our clients, our people and all our stakeholders. We execute our strategy within the context of broad interconnected trends, which present both challenges and opportunities.
Africa is our home, we drive her growth.
Our legitimacy is premised on what makes us unique, and is the basis for our credibility.
To be the leading financial services organisation in, for and across Africa, delivering exceptional client experiences and superior value.
Our values support our legitimacy, and are the basis on which we earn the trust of our stakeholders.
Our purpose and vision, supported by our legitimacy and values, guide our strategic execution through our integrated pillars, all of which are being strategically realigned to focus on our clients.
provide the basis for how our businesses execute our strategy.
Our material issues are those issues that we believe could seriously affect our commercial viability and our social relevance. These include factors influencing economic growth and political and social stability, and those which impact on how our stakeholders perceive the group and its role in society. Effectively managing our material issues is critical to achieving our strategic objectives and meeting our stakeholders’ expectations.
Africa's prospects for sustainable, long-term and inclusive economic growth
Africa is our home and we are committed to the expansion and deepening of our business across the continent. We work with our clients and regulators to support economic growth and diversification, thereby counter-balancing the slowdown in emerging markets which is largely driven by the decline in commodity prices.
Putting our clients at the centre of everything we do
Our clients are the reason we are in business. To provide them with the products and services they need, we must understand the environments in which they live and work, their immediate needs, and their long-term plans in respect of their careers, their businesses, their personal lives and their families. For corporate clients, we focus on understanding their operating environments and the associated opportunities and challenges.
The commitment, motivation and capability of our people, and their ability to live our values
Our ability to meet our objectives, deliver value to our clients, comply with our regulatory obligations and create shareholder value depends on our people. We strive to work with people who share our passion for Africa, who see the opportunities inherent in the diversity of the continent and its people, and who are committed to putting the client at the centre of everything we do.
Business unit reviews
People are a core component of our business unit strategies, as discussed in the business unit reviews.
Human capital report
Sets out our initiatives to motivate our people, drive diversity and ensure our people have the skill to deliver our strategy.
Remuneration overview
Describes the group’s total reward structure, which aims to encourage sustainable, long-term business results.
Continual innovation to improve the value we provide
In a world of constant technological evolution, we need to be at the forefront of new ideas and leverage technology to provide exceptional client experiences and gain competitive advantage. Innovation extends beyond our products and services to how we operate by way of our internal processes and systems. These must all fulfil the ultimate objective of placing our clients at the centre of everything we do.
Meeting the expectations of our regulators and serving the best interests of our clients
The regulatory frameworks governing financial services providers continue to evolve at a national and global level, and the supervisory powers of certain regulatory bodies have been increased significantly. We work closely with all our regulators to ensure that we effectively manage these developments, while minimising as far as possible any negative impacts on our clients, employees and areas of business.
Chairman's statement
Describes our engagement with regulators and our participation in the development of policy, legislation and regulation.
Group chief executives' report
Details the group’s strategy, which is responsive to regulatory changes in our operating environments.
Risk report
Discusses our focus on building a risk and compliance culture to manage conduct and compliance risk.
The security, stability, functionality and efficiency of our IT services
IT enables us to service our clients in a way that is more convenient and that makes their financial transactions more reliable and secure. In addition to being an enabler of our strategy, IT is also a competitive advantage. We use our understanding of our clients to provide them with value-added, uninterrupted IT products and services. While urbanisation in Africa is rising, many of the continent’s people still live in remote areas, where IT can be used to overcome challenges in delivering services.
Group chief executives' report
Provides an overview of information technology’s critical role in the group’s strategy.
PBB and CIB reviews
Describe how our businesses are leveraging IT to drive customer centricity and innovation.
Information technology report
Provides a group-level perspective of IT strategy and governance, and how we are aligning our people, risk and regulatory practices to a digitalised operating environment.
Our return on equity (ROE) is the most relevant measure of our performance over time as it combines all of our critical drivers, including earnings growth and capital utilisation, into a single metric. The group’s headline earnings is one of the components used in the determination of the group’s ROE and represents the major lever in lifting the group’s ROE to meet our medium term target.
Measuring our strategic progress
Related reports
Governance and remuneration report
Provides shareholders with the
notice of the annual general
meeting together with proxy forms
and the group's full governance
and remuneration information.
Risk and capital management report and annual financial statements
Provides a detailed discussion of
the management of strategic
risks related to the group's
banking and insurance
operations, and sets out the
full audited annual financial
statements for the group,
including the report of the
group audit committee.
Report to society
Provides an analysis of the
issues material to the group's
sustainability and to its
stakeholders.
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