Western Cape Business 2022

Bank on Standard Bank Trade
to grow your business
Building a secure and trusted environment for trade and traders.
Cameron Venti on Unsplash
Trade is a key cornerstone of economic
growth and prosperity. The revitalisation of
trade, both locally and internationally, will be
integral to South Africa’s economic recovery
from Covid-19. Trade allows for the flow of cash in
our economy and as a result helps to drive economic
prosperity, job creation and long-term stability.
With Trade by Standard Bank, we aim to be a
partner in your growth journey and can help create
a secure and trusted environment for you to trade.
This includes the following:
• Introductions to new vetted potential buyers –
locally and around the globe.
• Assistance with diversifying your supplier
base and products through access to new
international, vetted suppliers.
• The provision of working capital finance.
• Mitigation of risks of non-delivery and non-payments
from customers and foreign currency fluctuations.
• A single point of contact to assist in all your importing
needs, including all-in costing, logistics facilitation,
product track-and-trace services, payments, foreign
exchange covers and customs clearing.
Banks play a critical role in helping small and
medium businesses trade either their services or
goods, both in the local and international markets.
The importance of digital transformation in trade,
as in most other sectors, cannot be overstated. It
creates efficiencies and breaks down barriers to
entry – linking suppliers and customers all over the
world and allowing for the creation of new supply
chains. It is through digitisation and the growth
enablement it allows, that has led Standard Bank
trade to devise new and differentiated solutions
for customers:
Trade Club
There are two big environments where technology
can help businesses: access to information and
access to funding. It also increases the efficiency
and the speed with which you can gain this access.
Often the biggest inhibitor of trade is the ability to
find trusted and vetted counterparts to trade with.
Trade Finance
Standard Bank’s Trade Finance allows you to
expand and mitigate risks that could stand in
your way. This service will help to maximise your
profit by bolstering your cash flow, collecting
outstanding payments and strengthening your
working capital cycle.
Trade Suite
Local regulations and compliance issues can be
inhibitors to trade. Clients are often unaware of the
complexities of the movement of goods, including
engaging with shipping lines and harbour officials
on the import and export process.
These solutions allow Standard Bank to play a vital
strategic role in our clients’ sustainable business
growth – both locally and internationally. We are
able to leverage this position and knowledge of
our clients’ businesses and local markets to give
them the bespoke advice they need ■