About us
Our history
At our heart, we’re still the ambitious, network-driven trading bank we set out to be over 170 years ago
Inspired by 170 years of history
We’ve been supporting clients ever since we first opened our doors in Mumbai, Kolkata and Shanghai in 1853. Our story is intimately woven with our core markets, and continues to develop as fast as they do.
A footprint like no other
Since Standard Bank and Chartered Bank merged to become Standard Chartered in 1969, we’ve developed a distinctive network that stretches across our core markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Today, we’re proud to have 83,000 colleagues working in 53 markets worldwide.
Innovation is in our DNA
Our drive for innovation, for new ideas and opportunities, means we’ve been able to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs over time – from personal banking customers to multinational corporations.
A tale of two banks
Our story bears testament to the vision of our founders, spanning centuries and continents
- 1853 James Wilson helps found the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China under a royal charter from Queen Victoria
- 1862 John Paterson leads a consortium of businessmen to form the Standard Bank of British South Africa
- 1953 Standard Bank has offices across south central and western Africa
- 1969 The two banks and their histories merge to form Standard Chartered
An art collection that reflects who we are
Our art collection celebrates who we are. With a focus on people, it represents our colleagues, clients and communities and the connections between them.