When Standard Bank Group Technology adopted the BIAN Framework in 2022, the goal was an internal one: a common data model and reusable APIs for the bank’s own integration landscape. Three years on, the initiative has grown far beyond the bank. Standard Bank now acts as a regional catalyst for BIAN adoption across Africa – from hosting the BIAN Member Meetings in Cape Town to leading the extension of the framework into insurance.
This case study describes how one bank’s architecture decision became a continental movement, and what other institutions can learn from it.
Standard Bank Group, Johannesburg – Africa’s largest bank
Award category
Adoption Leader
Department
Group Enterprise Architecture
BIAN Adoption started
November 2022
Reach
Interest in BIAN grown in 20 African countries; BIAN-aligned APIs live in 5
Previous standards
IFX and a proprietary canonical model
Three outcomes
A growing regional network. The BIAN Member Meetings hosted in Cape Town in 2024 and 2025 drew around 100 and 200 participants respectively, bringing together architects from major banks, insurers and technology vendors. The BIAN Africa Chapter now counts 185 members.
BIAN extended to insurance. Because banking and insurance are frequently delivered together in African markets, Standard Bank initiated the BIAN Insurance Product Working Group – five insurers, six banks and South Africa’s primary insurance data exchange organisation working to bring insurance capabilities into the BIAN Framework.
BIAN-aligned APIs in production across five countries. Implementations in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Botswana set a benchmark for peer institutions – including the APIs supporting Standard Bank’s connection to the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) for cross-border payments.
Why it matters
Standard Bank’s story shows that the value of an industry standard multiplies with the number of organisations using it. By investing in awareness, training and open collaboration – more than 60 employees have completed BIAN training and certification – the bank has lowered the entry barrier for peers and vendors across the continent, and in doing so strengthened the interoperability of its own ecosystem.
“Getting our own house in order was the easy part. The moment we used a canonical model at the border with another bank, we learned that a standard only pays back what the market around you has also adopted. We stopped treating BIAN as our architecture and started treating it as our neighbourhood.”
Paul van der Merwe, Enterprise Architecture & Practices Head, Standard Bank Group
