In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, Stanbic Bank is strengthening its role as a trusted companion for individuals and families seeking to build and preserve generational wealth. According to Bernice Kamahunde Mvano, the Stanbic head of wealth and investment, the bank is committed to supporting Ugandans at every stage of their financial journey. “Every client is on a journey. We are all growing in age, in our families, businesses, and personal lives. Therefore, it’s important for people to know that growth is constant, and our role as a leading financial institution is to walk with our clients and their families,…
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Stanbic Bank’s Head of Personal Banking, Israel Arinaitwe, often returns to a lesson Adam Smith captured in The Wealth of Nations: economic progress depends on a society’s stock of capital. To him, it’s not just a theory—it’s a mindset Ugandans can adopt to improve their lives today and strengthen the future for generations to come. In an interview with the CEO East Africa Magazine, Israel frames that idea through Stanbic Bank’s latest brand campaign, Keep Growing. He describes it as more than a slogan, rather, a national call to action aligned to the bank’s purpose. “At Stanbic, we say, Uganda…
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Money remains expensive in Uganda. Bank of Uganda has kept its Central Bank Rate (CBR) at 9.75% since August 2025, one of the longest periods without adjustment. The message is clear: maintain macro stability in a world still shaken by global shocks, even if it means keeping domestic credit costly. In practice, this stance raises funding costs for banks, which then pass them on to businesses and households. Inflation eased to 3.4% in October, down from 4% in September, but that only widens the spread between the policy rate and inflation—now over 600 basis points. This makes Uganda’s real interest…
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A new chapter in Uganda’s digital finance landscape is quietly unfolding as Stanbic’s FlexiPay and Pearl Bank’s (formerly PostBank) Wendi Wallet join forces to create one of the country’s most powerful interoperable payment ecosystems. Together, the two will drive over UGX 6 trillion in annual digital transactions, merging liquidity, inclusion, and innovation into a seamless financial network that connects over 1.5 million Ugandans. Fillings contained in the two banks’ 2024 financial reports tell of a partnership that could shape a new revolution in Uganda’s e-money ecosystem. Yet it introduces a new chapter of partnerships that will likely reshape how…
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Less than a year after Standard Chartered Bank announced plans to exit its Wealth and Retail Business (WRB) segment as part of a global restructuring strategy, the long-anticipated transaction has now materialized. Absa, just like many had projected, has stepped in as the acquirer, with the deal formally announced on 24 October, expected to transfer all Standard Chartered’s WRB clients, assets, and employees to Absa. It is one of the most significant realignments in Uganda’s banking sector in recent years, following Standard Chartered’s November 2024 declaration of intent to divest from retail operations to focus on its Corporate and Investment…
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The rapid growth of digital and mobile lending is transforming Uganda’s financial landscape. It is expanding access to credit for millions who were previously excluded from the formal banking system. But as financial inclusion deepens, a new challenge is emerging: a rise in loan defaults and growing concerns over the sustainability of unsecured digital credit. A new Bank of Uganda Bank Lending Survey Report for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year indicates that commercial banks are warning that the very innovation meant to bridge access gaps is now creating new vulnerabilities in the credit market. At least 13%…
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Uganda’s banking sector has never been stronger on paper. And the Bank of Uganda’s latest Financial Soundness Indicators show why. Banks, the indicators show, are heavily capitalized, flush with liquidity, profitable, and increasingly resilient. Regulatory capital sits above 25% of risk-weighted assets, double the global standards. Non-performing loans have fallen from 5.2% to 4.1% in a year, while liquidity coverage ratios have surged to an extraordinary 580%. Returns on equity remain a solid 16 to 17%. In short, Uganda’s banks are safe, liquid, and among the most profitable in the region. Yet behind this impressive stability lies a nagging paradox:…
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The private sector entered August on a cautious but hopeful note. Two major business surveys show that while the economy remains on a growth path, financial strain and weak present conditions are dampening sentiment. The Bank of Uganda’s Business Tendency Indicators (BTI) pointed to declining confidence in current conditions. But firms expressed soaring optimism for the coming months. Meanwhile, the Stanbic Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index reported steady expansion. It highlights resilience in output, hiring, and new orders despite inflationary pressures. Confidence slips in the present, but expectations rise Bank of Uganda’s BTI shows that overall business confidence stood at 57.2…
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On September 4, 2025, Justice Susan Odongo of the Commercial Court Division of the High Court in Kampala ruled against an application by the Baitwa brothers and their company to set aside a garnishee order. The order froze accounts of Three Ways Shipping Services (Group) in Stanbic and Standard Chartered, clearing the path for recovery of a $126,000 debt owed to Kenyan firm Transpares. The Baitwa brothers, Geoffrey Baitwa Bihamaiso and Oscar Rolands Baitwa Businge, had argued that they and their Ugandan group company were distinct from the Kenyan subsidiary that incurred the debt. But Justice Odongo dismissed this defence,…
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In a fast-changing Uganda, the definition of wealth is shifting. It’s no longer just about today’s comfort — it’s about building legacies that last. Across the country, more people are looking beyond simple savings accounts, asking bigger questions: How can I secure my children’s education? How do I grow my business into a family enterprise? How do I invest for a retirement free of financial worry? For Stanbic Bank Uganda, these aren’t abstract questions. They are the daily reality of its Personal & Private Banking (PPB) division — a business unit undergoing a strategic transformation to put generational wealth creation…
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