Standard Bank – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
Standard Bank is Africa's largest bank by assets and is listed on the JSE. It offers personal, business, corporate and investment banking in South Africa and across the continent.
How Standard Bank has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Standard Bank trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/standard-bank-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Standard Bank filed its first South African trademark in 1974 and has filed 2,309 since; its busiest year was 2013, with 199 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Bank | 2,331 | 1974–2024 |
| Standard Bank Income Protection Plan | 9 | 1988–2008 |
| Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and Ginsburg Malan and Carsons … | 3 | 1996–1996 |
| Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd and Edgars Consolidated Stores | 2 | 2001–2001 |
Where Standard Bank expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Standard Bank's portfolio is concentrated in finance & insurance (class 36), advertising & retail (class 35), electronics & software (class 9). Its most recent moves were into construction & repair (2022), medical & beauty care (2021), processing materials (2020).
Standard Bank trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/standard-bank-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 Finance & insurance | 820 | 35.5% | 1974 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 319 | 13.8% | 1978 |
| 9 Electronics & software | 308 | 13.3% | 1985 |
| 38 Telecoms | 241 | 10.4% | 1978 |
| 41 Education & entertainment | 190 | 8.2% | 1990 |
| 16 Paper & print | 184 | 8.0% | 1976 |
| 42 Tech & IT services | 178 | 7.7% | 1974 |
| 45 Legal & security | 25 | 1.1% | 2008 |
The brands Standard Bank protects most
The word marks and logo names Standard Bank has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MELVILLE DOUGLAS | 30 | 6 | 2013–2017 |
| 2 | STANDARD BANK | 29 | 9 | 1978–2015 |
| 3 | CASHLESS, CARDLESS WAY TO PAY (THE)! | 25 | 5 | 2009–2009 |
| 4 | MIMONEY | 20 | 5 | 2008–2009 |
| 5 | ACCESSACCOUNT | 14 | 7 | 2012–2013 |
| 6 | EXPRESSLINE | 14 | 7 | 2013–2013 |
| 7 | INSTANT MONEY | 11 | 5 | 2009–2011 |
| 8 | SBG | 10 | 8 | 2009–2024 |
| 9 | 1INVEST | 10 | 5 | 2018–2020 |
| 10 | BLUEBEAN.COM | 10 | 5 | 2000–2000 |
| 11 | BIBI - BEYOND INSURANCE, BANKING, INVESTMENTS | 9 | 9 | 2021–2021 |
| 12 | STANDARD | 9 | 7 | 2008–2015 |
| 13 | PLAYROOM | 9 | 5 | 2014–2014 |
| 14 | MIMONEY WALLET | 9 | 3 | 2009–2009 |
| 15 | BALANCE PEEK | 8 | 8 | 2015–2015 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Standard Bank's logos
The 12 different logos Standard Bank has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Standard Bank's marks took a median of 3.2 years from filing to registration, slower than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 2.2 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Standard Bank's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Standard Bank's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Standard Bank's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Standard Bank was #3 of 1,944 filers in class 36 (finance & insurance), with 57 of 4,422 trademarks; #5 of 5,866 filers in class 35 (advertising & retail), with 53 of 11,124 trademarks; #8 of 4,926 filers in class 9 (electronics & software), with 53 of 10,252 trademarks.
Standard Bank's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 36 (finance & insurance), South Africa 1975–2024: Standard Bank
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/standard-bank-south-african-trademarks/class-36-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Standard Bank
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Standard Bank's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Standard Bank's closest competitors in South Africa are Absa, Discovery, Nedbank and FirstRand.
Standard Bank trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/standard-bank-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Standard Bank (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Absa | Direct competitor | 86% |
| 2 | Discovery | Direct competitor | 80% |
| 3 | Nedbank | Direct competitor | 78% |
| 4 | FirstRand | Direct competitor | 75% |
| 5 | 1life Insurance | 78% | |
| 6 | JSE | 71% | |
| 7 | Blue Label Distribution | 70% | |
| 8 | Shoprite | Retailer's own brands | 76% |
| 9 | BMW | Other field | 78% |
| 10 | Henkel | Other field | 73% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Standard Bank – relevant export countries
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 2 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 75 | US$83 m | -1% | National | US$1,594 |
| 2 | United States of America | 75 | US$37 m | +5% | National | US$1,400 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 66 | US$16 m | -3% | National | US$833 |
| 4 | India | 63 | US$5.7 m | +1% | National | US$563 |
| 5 | Hong Kong SAR | 60 | US$2.2 m | +8% | National | US$807 |
| 6 | Japan | 59 | US$1.3 m | +2% | National | US$893 |
| 7 | Canada | 58 | US$4.9 m | -4% | National | US$1,338 |
| 8 | Australia | 58 | US$14 m | -2% | National | US$1,300 |
| 9 | Singapore | 57 | US$2.2 m | +14% | National | US$888 |
| 10 | Namibia | 57 | US$152 m | +15% | ARIPO | US$290 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 2 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 57 | US$152 m | +15% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 57 | US$149 m | +8% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
| 3 | Nigeria | 51 | US$17 m | -16% | National | US$406 S&Z |
| 4 | Mozambique | 50 | US$88 m | +10% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
| 5 | Botswana | 48 | US$116 m | -14% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
| 6 | Egypt | 48 | US$4.1 m | -5% | National | US$950 |
| 7 | Morocco | 48 | US$2.6 m | +7% | National | US$856 |
| 8 | OAPI (17 states) | 48 | US$30 m | +3% | National | US$1,009 S&Z |
| 9 | Tanzania | 47 | US$28 m | -1% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
| 10 | Eswatini | 47 | US$62 m | -0% | ARIPO | US$290 S&Z |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 2 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$269 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MELVILLE DOUGLAS | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
| STANDARD BANK | 9 | US$1,827 | US$2,302 |
| CASHLESS, CARDLESS WAY TO PAY (THE)! | 5 | US$1,015 | US$1,563 |
| MIMONEY | 5 | US$1,015 | US$1,563 |
| ACCESSACCOUNT | 7 | US$1,421 | US$1,932 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
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Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Standard Bank's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Standard Bank's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to MELVILLE DOUGLAS (classes 9, 16, 35, 36, 38, 41; searched 2024-08-28 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to STANDARD BANK (classes 9, 35, 36, 38, 41; searched 2018-04-25 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to CASHLESS, CARDLESS WAY TO PAY (THE)! (classes 9, 35, 36, 38, 42; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to MIMONEY (classes 9, 35, 36, 38, 42; searched 2020-09-30 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to ACCESSACCOUNT (classes 9, 16, 35, 36, 38, 41, 42; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-07)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Standard Bank's next five years of renewals
666 of Standard Bank's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$41,485 over the five years.
Standard Bank: frequently asked questions
What should Standard Bank consider for its trademarks?
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 28 (toys & sports goods) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Fewer new brands: new brand names fell from 14.8 to 11.4 a year – worth reviewing whether planned launches are being protected early enough.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.