In a statement dated December 5, 2025, the bank confirmed the handover, describing it as consistent with its long-term plan to simplify operations, improve efficiency, and concentrate resources in priority markets. The divestment follows earlier exits in Angola, The Gambia, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone—part of a wider restructuring programme first announced in April 2022.
A Strategic Realignment Gains Ground
According to Standard Chartered, the transition supports its broader global realignment efforts. The bank reiterated that the decision to scale back its footprint was intended to reduce operational complexity and channel investments toward areas where it holds competitive strength.
Anna Asonganyi, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Cameroon, called the completed transition a “significant milestone,” noting that the bank remained committed to ensuring continuity throughout the process. She highlighted that both employees and customers were central considerations in the migration and expressed confidence that Access Bank would maintain the quality of service clients have come to expect.
Access Bank Strengthens Its Central African Presence
For Access Bank, the acquisition marks another key milestone in its regional expansion. It follows the bank’s takeover of Standard Chartered Tanzania’s Consumer, Private, and Business Banking portfolio earlier in the year—an acquisition the lender said would broaden its capacity to deliver inclusive, technology-driven financial services across East Africa and beyond.
Teams from both institutions have spent the past several years aligning staff, branches, systems, and customer accounts. The integration, according to the statement, is expected to open opportunities for improved service delivery, operational innovation, and broader financial inclusion.
Standard Chartered to Maintain Cross-Border Engagement
Commenting on the development, Kariuki Ngari, Managing Director and CEO for Kenya, emphasised that the divestment forms part of a deliberate long-term vision. He acknowledged the support of Cameroonian regulators and commended employees for their professionalism throughout the transition.
Despite withdrawing onshore, Ngari noted that Standard Chartered will continue to facilitate international capital flows into Cameroon, positioning itself as a channel for global investment and trade.
A Concluding Chapter in a Multi-Market Exit Strategy
With the Cameroon divestment completed, Standard Chartered has now fully exited five African markets included in the 2022 restructuring announcement. These moves, the bank has said, are designed to enable deeper investment in its core businesses, particularly its growing wealth management operations.
The transfer to Access Bank marks both the end of an era for Standard Chartered in Cameroon and the beginning of a new chapter in Access Bank’s ambitions to expand its influence across Central Africa.