An Important Data Incident Update
We would like to provide an update (from 23 March 2026) on the incident recently identified by Standard Bank South Africa involving unauthorised access to some of the personal information we hold, which we have been investigating with external experts.
Our banking systems were not impacted. They remain secure and operational and available to all our clients and employees. Our teams, supported by experts, continue with the ongoing investigations into this incident.
The specific information involved may differ from person to person. Based on what we know (at this stage) the affected information involved includes:
- Names
- ID numbers only
- Company registration numbers
We continue to strengthen controls and enhance monitoring in line with industry best practice to safeguard your information. We have reported this incident to the regulatory authorities.
Our recommendation
Given the nature of the information accessed, there is a risk that someone could use it to try to impersonate you or contact you fraudulently. This could include emails, messages or calls that appear genuine, or attempts to use your details without your permission.
As a precaution, we advise all our clients to follow good practices, including but not limited to:
- Update your banking passwords on our digital banking platforms as well as your social media platforms.
- Enable digital authentication on the Standard Bank mobile banking app.
- Contact us or your Relationship Manager immediately if you notice any suspicious activity on your bank accounts or cards.
- Never share personal information such as passwords and PINs when asked to do so by anyone via phone, fax, text messages or even email.
- Use strong unique passwords and enable biometric authentication where possible.
- Register with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service for protective registration. This is a free service. If anyone tries to apply for any banking related products with your identity number, it will be declined or referred for further review. Visit https://www.safps.org.za/Home/OurServices_ApplyProtectiveRegistration
- Verify any unexpected email, SMS or call asking for sensitive information by contacting the bank through trusted channels.
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links or unfamiliar websites URLs.
We want to reassure you that protecting your privacy and personal information remains our highest priority. If we discover that any additional information was affected, we will provide further updates on our website or directly to you.
Thank you for your patience. Your relationship and trust are important to us.