Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank, Mansa Nettey, has reiterated her outfit’s commitment to contributing to making Ghana a technology and digital hub.

This forms part of efforts in pushing the government’s digitalization agenda.

”We will continue to leverage our status as a leading trade bank to create a fairer global economy and sustainable growth by enhancing transparency around the supply chains, capital expertise, and ideas we connect backed by innovative solutions to help our economies drive new standards and promote Ghana’s aspiration of becoming a financial, industrial and technology hub and facilitate opportunities around the AfCFTA,” she said.

Madam Nettey made these comments at the Standard Chartered Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech Festival held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra on 3rd and 4th November 2021 as part of activities to mark the bank’s 125th-anniversary celebrations.

She also disclosed that a new brand image has been introduced which will soon be rolled out in the various bank branches.

”It is our expectation that our commitment to make a difference through our bold stance will define the next stage of our journey by building on what we are and what we have achieved over the last 125 years. In addition to our stance, we have refreshed our brand image, which will be rolled out across all our branches and office locations.”

The Standard Chartered Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech Festival, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana and SC Ventures, was under the theme, “Shaping the next phase of Ghana’s financial technology landscape for the 21st century”.

The keynote speaker, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, highlighted the need for stakeholders in the fintech ecosystem to continue to innovate and compete whilst co-operating with each other.

“Fundamentally, there is no inconsistency between competition and collaboration. I know that many of the stakeholders in our ecosystem, the private sector especially, are very profit-driven. The Central Bank has to jealously guard the safety and stability of the system, and strive to get financial inclusion,” Dr. Bawumia said.

He further said, “If we don’t collaborate, then everybody would be in silos, but once we come together in one ecosystem, then we are able to derive economies of scale from that collaboration, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”.

The two-day festival provided a platform where Ghana’s digital infrastructure was showcased while highlighting the great strides the country has made on the national digitalization journey.

This high-level event brought together local and international players in the Fintech ecosystem, seasoned experts and practicing fintech innovators to engage and share insights on how to adopt, leverage, and scale digitization, innovation, and technology within the financial sector.

Some notable leaders of industry who attended in person and over Zoom included Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Communication & Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, CEO, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered PLC, Sunil Kaushal, a Member of SC Ventures, Alex Manson, and many more.