Building Africa’s future with the South African Future Trust
2025 marked our second consecutive year of partnering with the South African Future Trust (SAFT) at the 2025 SA Future Trust Summit. Our partnership champions economic growth in Africa by empowering small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) through access, education, and capital. These efforts reflect our vision to be the Bank for Entrepreneurs: a bank that invests in real impact for Africa’s business builders.
Leadership that shapes Africa’s economy
At the summit, held on 5 – 6 November, Bill Blackie, CEO of Standard Bank BCB, joined Jonathan Oppenheimer in a fireside conversation on the role of SMEs in driving economic growth in Africa.
Goolam Ballim, our Chief Economist, added perspective on how partnerships such as the one with SAFT foster innovation and resilience in emerging markets.
The experience affirmed our commitment to entrepreneurship as a catalyst for inclusive prosperity across the continent.
Through this partnership, we continue to bridge the gap between opportunity and access: connecting entrepreneurs to the insights, funding, and mentorship that fuel business confidence and resilience. By championing collaboration across industries, we are helping to create an inclusive ecosystem where every entrepreneur, regardless of size or sector, has the tools and support to grow.
Turning insight into opportunity
Beyond thought leadership, we translate strategy into real world support. At the summit, we provided free stands to 11 SMEs, as well as a stand for OneFarm Impact, a leading example of social entrepreneurship in action (read more below).
Within the main Advisory Zone, business owners could access complimentary consultations in finance, marketing, tax and HR – all supported by our bankers to help entrepreneurs find funding solutions that let them scale their business.
These face-to-face engagements not only fostered direct client connections but also deepened trust, showing that our support for entrepreneurs extends far beyond the event itself.
Explore our business resources to help you start, manage and grow your business.
OneFarm Impact: Social entrepreneurship that feeds a nation
OneFarm Impact embodies the power of social entrepreneurship to bridge market gaps and uplift communities.
The initiative connects over 607 smallholder farmers to formal markets, has generated more than R78.5 million in direct income since 2020, and supported 189 women farmers.
By moving over 29 000 tonnes of fresh produce, it has fed 1.2 million South Africans while stimulating employment through sustainable agriculture.
The OneFarm Impact story is just one example of how collaboration fuels progress and illustrates how partnerships such as the one between SAFT and Standard Bank create lasting change for farmers, families, and the future of food security.
Explore more success stories from business owners driving economic growth in Africa with our support.
Building Africa’s future together
Through collaborations such as the South African Future Trust, we are helping to shape a continent where entrepreneurship drives shared success.
By supporting initiatives like these, we aim to prove that innovation and partnership are the engines of sustainable economic growth in Africa.