A truly international investment bank
Standard Chartered PLC (StanChart) was created in 1969 by the
merger of the Standard Bank of British South Africa and the
Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. Both banks
trace their roots to the 1800s, when British trade activities
created a need for banking and financial institutions throughout
the far reaches of the British Empire. A period of peaceful
growth lasted into modern times-until 1986-when Britain's Lloyds
Bank attempted a hostile takeover.
Standard Chartered is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock
exchanges, and ranks among the top-25 companies in the FTSE-100 by
market capitalisation. The London-headquartered group derives
more than 90 per cent of its operating profits from Asia, Africa
and the Middle East, and its income and profits have more than
doubled over the last five years-primarily as a result of organic
growth. The bank's European operations serve as a bridge to
emerging markets. StanChart has more than over 1,700 offices
in 71 countries and employs over 85,000 people.