Standard Bank and Huawei have signed an expanded strategic cloud partnership, a move that will see the bank migrate core banking systems to a hybrid cloud architecture and add artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to its technology stack. The agreement was announced at Huawei Connect 2026 in Shanghai and signed by Tsebeletso Mashau, chief information officer for Africa at Standard Bank, and Kui Zheng, deputy general manager of Huawei Enterprise South Africa.
The partnership builds on a 2024 collaboration and now covers application modernisation, cloud technologies, data capabilities and AI. Huawei will provide computing power, AI infrastructure and software engineering support, while Standard Bank will use the new platform to replace legacy infrastructure with a more agile, scalable and resilient foundation.
For a bank that operates in 21 African countries, the shift to a hybrid cloud, a mix of private and public cloud resources, is intended to lower the cost of delivering services, improve system reliability and speed up the rollout of new digital products. A hybrid cloud lets the bank keep sensitive data on-premise while using public cloud capacity for peak demand, a model that many large enterprises adopt to balance security and flexibility.
Funeka Montjane, Standard Bank Group chief executive of personal and private banking, said access to modern technology is essential for extending financial services to underserved communities. “When technology lowers our cost to serve, it makes it commercially viable to reach communities that have historically been excluded from traditional financial services,” she said. The bank hopes the partnership will translate into faster, more personalised digital banking for both retail customers and small enterprises.
Huawei senior vice-president and president of enterprise sales Leo Chen described the deal as a fresh starting point, promising continued investment in AI infrastructure and cloud services. “By working more closely with Standard Bank, Huawei will support core-system modernisation, strengthen AI infrastructure and scale AI applications to build a more agile, resilient and intelligent banking infrastructure,” Chen said.
Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei’s digital finance business unit, added that Standard Bank’s decision to trust Huawei with critical core banking infrastructure demonstrates Huawei’s capabilities in the financial sector. The partnership will also explore AI-enabled customer service, fraud detection, risk decision-making and intelligent operations, areas that could improve the speed and accuracy of services that small businesses rely on.
Industry observers note that the agreement reflects a broader trend of African banks moving workloads to the cloud to improve efficiency and meet regulatory demands. While the partnership is a private arrangement, it aligns with the continent’s push for digital financial inclusion, a goal that the South African Reserve Bank has highlighted in recent policy statements.
Standard Bank’s CIO Tsebeletso Mashau said the milestone is about more than technology investment. “It is really about the possibilities that it unlocks for what we can do for our clients, and to ensure that we serve them brilliantly and intelligently,” she said. The bank expects the cloud platform to be rolled out in phases, matching evolving business and customer requirements.
Will Meng, CEO of Huawei South Africa, said the partnership aims to deliver high-quality projects and build a strong talent pool. “More importantly, by working closely together, Huawei aims to be Standard Bank’s most trusted delivery partner, most devoted innovation partner and most long-term strategic partner on its digital transformation journey,” he said.
For SMEs and entrepreneurs, the modernised banking platform could mean faster loan approvals, more responsive customer service and new digital tools that are built on AI insights. While the exact impact will depend on how quickly the cloud migration proceeds, the partnership signals that large banks are investing heavily in technology that could eventually filter down to smaller players.
Read the original announcement on TechCentral. For more coverage of technology trends in South Africa, visit our Tech & Telco section.
