Frequently Asked Questions

The Standard Bank Trade Club is a networking trade platform designed for our business customers, to connect with one another and promoting trade, both locally and internationally.

Standard Bank has its roots in Africa. We believe that Africa is our home and we drive her growth. Bringing this platform to our clients gives us an opportunity to contribute positively to the growth of our business clients, because when our clients grow and prosper, so do we.

No, the use of the Standard Bank Trade Club platform is free of charge. You do, however, have to register for the service in order to access it in full.

No, the use of the Standard Bank Trade Club platform is free of charge. You do, however, have to register for the service in order to access it in full.

As a Standard Bank client who qualifies for the product, you will receive an invitation by email to join the Trade Club. The email will contain an activation link and an activation code. You simply need to click on the link and type in the activation code. Next you will be prompted to create a profile and choose a username and password. You can then start enjoying the use of the Standard Bank Trade Club. If you have not received an invitation but believe you qualify, you can send an email to [email protected] and request an invite.

Once registered on Standard Bank Trade Club, with your company business card created, you can invite up to five colleagues through your user account settings. Your colleagues will then receive an invitation email with a personal code to create their own profile and can register for Trade Club themselves, joining your existing company’s business card.

_{Important notice: Once you’ve invited a colleague, they become attached to your company profile and business card, meaning that they can send a message(s) on behalf of your company, respond to messages received for your company and change your business card information. Therefore, it is important to make sure you only invite employees of your business}.

Standard Bank and the website provider handle your details with care. Sound security measures are in place to prevent unauthorised access to your data. The platform belongs to our partner, Export Enterprises, and the data is stored on their servers in a secure, access-restricted location in Europe

The platform’s users are spread all over the world and for that reason the main language on the platform is English. However, Portuguese and French versions will be available soon. We therefore recommend that the text fields in your business card be written in English.

You can read more about the rules of conduct and standards on the platform in the terms and conditions. Users are expected to conduct themselves in a cordial and respectful manner.

For example, they are not permitted to spam other users, or to copy content without permission.

Access to the Standard Bank Trade Club will be withdrawn from users who do not adhere to the rules or who misuse the platform.

No, this kind of behaviour is strictly prohibited. Therefore, each user may only send up to 10 messages a day. If you are approached in an undesirable way, please report this to the Community Manager immediately.

The Community Manager’s role is to give you support and thus maximise value extraction on the platform. Your Community Manager is your contact point for:

• Requests for matchmaking – at your request, he/she will find a suitable trading partner(s) for you.
• Tips and help for completing your business card, to make sure you receive the best matches from the platform and to ensure that your business card is easily located in the directory and stands out for other users.
• Questions about the operation of the platform – how to interact with other members, search tips, etc.

On the platform, go to “Contact the Community Manager” or “User assistance”. There you can directly submit a request to your Community Manager to remove your club membership and/or your company’s business card.

It is important to note that once the company profile is deleted, all other users associated with the company profile will also automatically be deactivated.

Success on the platform begins with completing your business card well. This allows both the Community Manager and our matchmaking algorithm to propose the most relevant suggestions for you to find new commercial partners. When completing your business card:

• Use the text fields to describe what your business has to offer and what you are looking for, and preferably write in English.
• Define your business value proposal activities (importer, exporter, agent, trader, distributor, etc.).
• Enter your products as accurately as possible using 4- or 6-digit HS code.
• Add your company’s logo and any other promotional material (documents, pdf, PPT, etc.).

There are various ways of finding a business counterpart:

• Browse the Opportunities list, where you’ll find potential business suggestions selected for you by the system, the Community Manager and/or your Relationship Manager at Standard Bank.
• Ask the Community Manager to search for personalised suggestions for your company.
• Browse the Members Directory and search by your own criteria.
• You may also be approached by others. Just by putting your company profile on the Club platform, you are already showing that you are open to being contacted.

The best thing is for you to approach the business by sending a message on the platform. By using the trade platform, you are ensuring that your message will reach the correct person in the company. If there is mutual interest, you will receive a reply and you can make further arrangements from there.

The businesses on the Standard Bank Trade Club are clients of Standard Bank and of partner banks who were vetted by their own banks before they joined the club. However, we recommend that you always do prior research on your counterpart companies to guarantee the safety of your transactions.

Standard Bank will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including damages for loss of goods, property, profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses.

Standard Bank cannot guarantee the behaviour of the platform’s users and therefore participation on the platform is voluntary and at your own risk. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further information.

You can find more information about the country you are dealing with in the resources of the Standard Bank Trade resources. These resources provide insights into the culture of a particular country and about the customs that you will have to take into account when entering into business. You will also find practical information about trading, taxes, investment opportunities and so on.

In the unlikely event that a client does not find a match, you may contact the Community Manager for a diagnosis of the problem. The Community Manager will also help resolve the issue through manual matchmaking and other mechanisms