- ABSA names AWS its preferred cloud provider after nearly a decade-long relationship.
- The bank says the move will speed up innovation and strengthen customer experience.
- It plans to offer AWS cloud training to unemployed women across five African countries.
South African financial giant ABSA has deepened its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), naming the US-based tech company its preferred cloud provider.
Having started its cloud journey in 2015, ABSA says its deeper alignment with AWS is designed to support innovation at scale, improve operational resilience, and create more intuitive digital experiences for its customers.
As part of the renewed agreement, the bank plans to leverage AWS’s full suite of services across machine learning, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
The shift comes at a time when competition in African banking is intensifying. Traditional banks like ABSA are under pressure to match the speed and agility of digital-first challengers.
By naming AWS its preferred provider, ABSA joins a growing list of African institutions betting big on the cloud to streamline operations and tap into data-driven decision-making.
According to ABSA, most of its services have already been migrated to the cloud, making it one of the few major African banks operating as a cloud-native entity. This evolution has not come cheap. In the year ending December 2024, the bank spent R6.8 billion on IT — up 12.5% from the previous year.
The investment goes beyond tech infrastructure. In partnership with AWS, ABSA is offering sponsored cloud training worth $100 to 150 unemployed women across South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, and Ghana. This builds on earlier initiatives like the 2021 “Cloud Incubator” programme, which trained nearly 1,500 of its own employees in cloud computing.
ABSA’s commitment to digital transformation has been steady. In recent years, the bank adopted Rancher Prime to run a multi-cluster, multi-cloud architecture, significantly cutting management costs while enhancing system resilience. And in 2024, it partnered with LTIMindtree to modernise core systems and strengthen data-led innovation.
On a parallel track, Absa is extending its digital footprint to communities left behind by traditional banking. In February 2024, the bank launched ChatWallet, a WhatsApp-based digital wallet that requires no existing account. Users simply register via WhatsApp, provide a valid South African ID and RICA’d number, register with facial biometrics, and set a PIN.
As African banks increasingly move critical workloads to the cloud, ABSA’s expanded AWS partnership could serve as a blueprint for legacy institutions looking to modernise without compromising on scale or security.
