The Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank, Kwamina Asomaning, has asked businesses to push their banks to contribute more to their growth, resilience and decision-making as economic pressures and increasingly complex supply chains reshape the corporate landscape.
Mr. Asomaning made this call at Stanbic Bank’s Transaction Banking Client Engagement Forum in Accra, held on the theme “Creating Value Beyond Transaction.” He said companies should expect their financial partners to bring expertise, market insight and practical solutions to the relationship, rather than simply provide routine banking services.
He said the demands facing businesses had changed significantly, requiring banking relationships to evolve with them. “There was a time when banking relationships were defined primarily by transactions. Payments were processed, accounts were maintained, and trade instruments were issued. Necessary functions, certainly, but no longer sufficient in an environment marked by complex supply chains,” he said.
Mr. Asomaning said banks could play a more meaningful role by helping companies manage liquidity, improve efficiency, strengthen risk management and identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. “The most valuable banking partner is not simply the institution that processes transactions efficiently. It is the institution that helps clients make better decisions.”
He said businesses needed to combine operational discipline with strategic choices that could protect their competitiveness and create sustainable value, particularly in an environment where market conditions could change quickly.
According to him, this approach should influence how companies assess the value of their relationships with financial institutions. Quoting investor Warren Buffett, Mr. Asomaning said, “price is what you pay, value is what you get.”
He explained that the real value of a banking relationship should be reflected in the expertise, connectivity and measurable outcomes that a financial institution brings to its clients.
“The true measure of a banking relationship is therefore not the volume of transactions processed, but the value generated through expertise, partnership, and tangible outcomes.”
Mr. Asomaning also highlighted the importance of regional connectivity as Ghanaian companies explore opportunities across Africa and beyond.
As a member of Standard Bank Group, Mr. Asomaning said Stanbic Bank operates within a network spanning 21 African markets. This footprint, he noted “gives us a unique perspective on the forces shaping trade, investment, and business growth across Africa. It allows us to identify opportunities, anticipate risks, and understand emerging trends, not in isolation, but as part of an increasingly interconnected commercial ecosystem.”
He said the regional network, combined with local market knowledge and cross-border relationships, could help businesses navigate unfamiliar markets and make more informed expansion decisions.
The forum brought together Stanbic Bank clients and business stakeholders to examine changing expectations in Trade finance, Payments, Custody Services, channel solutions and how financial institutions can support companies as they pursue growth in a more interconnected economy.
