Standard Bank Group Limited - The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited

Standard Bank Group Limited - The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited         
                              and Barclays Bank plc                             
STANDARD BANK GROUP LIMITED                                                     
Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)                                   
(Registration number 1969/017128/06)                                            
Share code: SBK                                                                 
Namibian Share Code: SNB                                                        
ISIN: ZAE000038873                                                              
("Standard Bank Group")                                                         
The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited ("Standard Bank") and Barclays Bank   
plc ("Barclays")                                                                
Barclays and Standard Bank announced today that an alliance has been formed to  
sell and distribute Barclaycards in South Africa through a new division of      
Standard Bank, creating a new player in the South African credit card market.   
The new division will be jointly funded and all profits and losses will be      
shared equally by the two parties. Barclays will be responsible for sales, while
card issuance, PIN collection and payments will be handled by Standard Bank"s   
outlets. The division today launches "The Manchester United Barclaycard" as the 
first of four new credit card products to be introduced within the next six     
months. The alliance brings to Standard Bank additional processing scale, which 
will improve cost efficiency, together with the opportunity for future          
technology and knowledge sharing in card products with a global banking group of
the calibre of Barclays.                                                        
For further information please contact Kim Howard at Standard Bank Group        
Investor Relations on (+27) (11) 636-7811.                                      
Date: 11/08/2003 08:00:03 AM Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za                     
Produced by the JSE SENS Department