The world is ever evolving and Standard Bank as a major South African financial corporation sees Africa as a market of opportunities. As do thousands of business owners, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who attended the Business Show: Africa and Access to Finance Live return to Johannesburg at the Convention Centre on 02-03 September 2026.
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with leading brands, funding providers, technology companies, business service providers and industry experts while gaining valuable insights through a comprehensive programme of seminars, workshops and masterclasses focused on growth, innovation and business development. A major highlight of the event will be Access to Finance LIVE, a dedicated platform designed to connect entrepreneurs and SMEs with funding providers and finance solutions, helping address one of the most significant barriers to business growth. The event will also provide unparalleled networking opportunities, enabling business owners to build valuable relationships, discover new suppliers, explore strategic partnerships and identify opportunities to expand their businesses.
New opportunities await in the regional markets of Africa. It depends on how the finances of major companies and SMEs are utilized. This Business show and workshop is about facilitating new opportunities and investments to accelerate monetary and employment growth in South African businesses. Finance as discussed above will be the driving force as perpetuated by investment banks such as Standard Bank. The key in this is to share ideas in open discussion and for entrepreneurs to look for ways to grow their businesses with state interference and regulation at a minimum. This forum of gatherings and workshops looks to take South African businesses outside the country’s borders to the rest of Africa. Standard Bank is aiming to make R250 billion in investment in inter-Africa trade as created by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
African lenders are positioning themselves to capitalize on growing intra-continental trade flows. According to the International Trade Center, nearly half of small businesses export to markets on the continent, compared to just 14% for larger firms. “The biggest trade bloc for us today is trade into the continent, and it continues to be the fastest-growing trade segment,” Blackie said. Standard Bank anticipates that the African Continental Free Trade Area — which seeks to create a single market spanning more than 50 countries and 1.3 billion people — to accelerate the trend. The World Bank estimates that the pact could more than double intra-African exports by 2035.
More intra-African trade will translate into demand for Standard Bank’s trade finance, payments, foreign exchange, working-capital facilities and cash-management services thanks to its extensive footprint.
The main opportunity in all this is to build African economies into something greater. Accelerate the growth of opportunities in poverty stricken African states. Intra-Africa trade is already on the rise and growing, due to reforms. The key to laying the foundation is investment in infrastructure and this is where banking corporations like Standard bank come in. If there is money to be made in a serious venture, the banks will take it up. Of course, governments like South Africa’s must facilitate it. Laying the infrastructure to connect Africa into a single market across over fifty nations and the variety of a diverse 1.3 billion people promises to be no easy task.
Banking companies like Standard bank and the governments of the respective participating nations had best be prepared. They are laying the groundwork for what most of the continent’s markets in the future could see as a single currency to trade. South Africa is among the pioneers.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
